Fragile Like Glass rewritten
by WeDineInHell
Summary: There's a new Mercer in town. She's different then any other girls. Not a JOC pairing. Not a sister fic.
1. New Member in the Family

**This is rewritten of Fragile Like Glass. I changed quite a lot, added in this and that. I'm sorry if you don't like it \ Please review and tell me if you do. **

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Evelyn Mercer stood by the window, thinking of the girl who was coming in two hours time. She had read her file and what Evelyn felt couldn't be explained in words. At the age of twelve, she had gone through things any other normal twelve year old girls haven't. She had witness her mother's murder, her father walked out on her two weeks later. She was then sent to a relative's house, only to be made a slave. She was brutally abused and from the pictures in the file, Evelyn had never seen so many scars and stitches on a child's body. In fact, she didn't understand how anyone could go through so much pain.

She sighed and went to stand by the stairs, and called down the boys. Doors banging were heard overhead, followed by loud footsteps as the boys trampled down the stairs. She smiled warmly at them. There was Bobby, aged twenty-two. He had a sharp tongue, and a short temper, but Evelyn knew, Bobby loved every one of his brothers and he would go all out to protect them. Then there was Jerry, aged twenty. A nice young man, who was considerate and cared deeply for all of them. Up next was Angel, the romantic one out of them all. Angel was nineteen, and he was often teased by Bobby for his taste in girls. Lastly, but not the least, was Jack. He was fifteen, and was different from his brothers. He was the quiet one. The person you'd see sitting alone in the corner or strumming his guitar while humming to himself during a party.

"Morning, Ma," Jerry grinned at her and gave her a hug, "She's coming today, isn't she?" Evelyn nodded. She was glad the boys were not upset for she had just told them last night. They had taken it very well. "Great, I can't wait to meet her then," Jerry squeezed Evelyn's hand gently. Bobby was checking his hair in the mirror, which was hung on the wall facing the stairs. Angel shoved him aside and began checking himself out. "Move it!" Bobby nudged him.

"You move it!"

"I have hair to check! You don't!"

Angel groaned, "Piss off, Bobby." He went into the living room.

Evelyn chuckled. Bobby was an expert on pissing people off. "Bobby, be nice," Evelyn scolded in a playful tone. Bobby grinned sheepishly and went into the living room to watch television with Angel. "Jerry! Get your ass in here!" he yelled.

"Excuse me, Ma," Jerry pushed through between her and Jack. Evelyn studied his face. Jack looked tired and had dark circles around his eyes. "Jack, did you get enough sleep last night?"

Jack gave her a small reassuring smile and nodded, "Don't worry about me, Ma."

"Oh, Jack, I worry about you the most," she said, her heart feeling heavy all of a sudden.

Jack shook his head and held a hand up. "Can we discuss this later, Ma?" he asked softly, scratching the back of his head, "I kind of want to go back up and play my guitar." Evelyn sighed and nodded. Jack leaned in and gave her a hug, then a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks, Ma," he whispered in her ear and jogged back up the stairs.

Evelyn then went into the kitchen to start lunch.

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**888**

**Two Hours Later**

**888**

* * *

"There's a car parked outside the house, Ma." Jerry called out from the living room.

"Hey, cool. It's a Nissan. I want one."

"I'm going to get myself a Ferrari," Bobby joked.

Evelyn wiped her hands with the cloth and went to look peek through the curtains. There they were. Agent Houston from the orphanage and Angel (Angie) Lynn McConnell were coming out from the car. She is a very pretty girl, Evelyn thought. She was wearing a black jacket which had a hood and was zipped up all the way. Dark blue jeans followed the shape of her legs and she wore black sneakers.

"Bobby, where is Jack?" Evelyn pulled away from the curtains as they walked towards the house.  
"Probably upstairs, strumming that gay ass guitar."  
"Well," Angel started, "You were the one who encouraged him to learn and you were the one who got him that guitar.""So?"  
"So you're the gay ass dude who bought that gay ass guitar."  
"Just shut up."

Agent Houston pressed the doorbell and Evelyn opened the door, smiling warmly at the both of them. "Good afternoon, Mr. Houston and good afternoon, my dear girl." The girl just stared at her with her grayish blue eyes and nodded, murmuring a soft greeting. "Afternoon, Miss Evelyn. This is Angie, and she's twelve." He said, in a very polite manner.

"I'm clearly aware of that, Mr. Houston. After all, I did read her file," she winked at Angie and she could have sworn she saw Angie smiled, but it disappeared as fast as it had appeared. "Well, Angie, why don't you go into the living room and get to know the boys, while I finish making lunch?" Evelyn asked her, and Angie just nodded. Agent Houston then said his goodbyes and left. Evelyn ushered her into the living room and left her there as she walked into the kitchen with Mr. Houston. Angie stood there for a moment, quiet. She observed them and saw one white guy and two black guys. The boys hadn't taken any notice or even realized she was there. The white boy with hair that was slicked back into a ponytail yawned and stretched his arms upwards. He titled his head a little and saw her from the corner of his eye. He saw she was just standing there. She must be nervous, he thought, as she had one hand in the pocket of her jacket.

"You know, it is rather rude to stand there without saying anything," he said, not taking his eyes off the screen. One of the black guys shifted in his seat to turn to look at her. He smiled at her and got up and held out a hand, "Hey, I'm Jerry, and you must be…?"

"Angie," she whispered, staring down at his hand, not taking it in hers.

The other black guy nodded in her direction, "My name's Angel."

"That's my full name…" Angie said softly.

"Speak up, girl." The white guy called from the couch, his eyes glued to the screen. "Dude, stop it," Angel threw a pillow at him, "Give her and us a break, will ya?"

"Not my fault I was born an asshole," the white guy grunted.

A giggle escaped Angie's lips and she quickly clamped her hands around her mouth.

"Bobby, Angel, Jerry, Angie, time to eat lunch," Evelyn called out from the kitchen.

The guys went past her and the white guy stopped in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat when she realize they were only a few inches apart. He stared at her suspiciously, and his face broke out into a grin, "I'm Bobby. Come on," he held her by her shoulders and brought her to the kitchen. As they sat, Jerry suddenly asked, "Hey, what about Jack?"

"Oh. Angie," Angie turned to look at Bobby, "Go upstairs and bring down Jack. He should be in the last room at the end." Angie bit her lip, suddenly looking nervous. She slowly got up and went upstairs.

"Bobby."  
"What?" he snapped.

"You're mean," Jerry teased.

She stepped over the things that were lying on the floor and was facing the last room at the end. She hesitated. Should she open it or knock first? Her ears perked up when she heard soft strumming coming from inside. She pressed her ear against the door and heard a guy's voice singing softly while strumming to the guitar.

_'Cause I'm broken… when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right, when you've gone away…'_

She then heard him sighed. There was silence after that. She pressed harder against the door, wanting to hear more but then suddenly, the door swung open and she fell onto the floor. She heard a shocked gasp and quickly scrambled up to her feet, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she muttered, "Lunch is ready, Bobby told me to call you down," she turned and left, clutching her right side.

Minutes later, Jack joined them for lunch. They sat at the dining table in the kitchen, and ate in silence. The only thing that could be heard was the clanking of the forks and spoons against the plates and each other.

"So, Angie, when is your birthday?" Jerry asked, wanting to know more about her.

"Um… I don't know…" she murmured.

"Oh. Well… what's your favourite colour?"

"Black." Her response was short and quick.

"What about your favourite animal?"

She stopped playing around with her food and smiled sadly, and said, more to herself, "Mika."

"Mika?" Bobby asked, his features twisted in confusion.

"Yes."

"What's a Mika?"  
"Mika is my pet mouse."

"Oh. Is he here?" Angel asked, raising a glass of water to his lips.

"In my pocket."  
Angel spluttered, spraying water at Bobby's face.

"How lovely," Evelyn smiled at her, "May I see her?"

"It's a him." She gently reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small, white mouse, not any bigger then her hand. "Aw, he is adorable," Jerry grinned, "May I hold him?" Angie nodded and gave him Mika. "Aw, ain't he tame!" Jerry exclaimed and handed it back to her. She smiled at it and stroked the mouse.

Bobby studied her. She seemed so… He didn't know what the word was to describe her.

Bobby put down his fork and spoon and drank his water. Angie gave Jerry the mouse, got up and took both his and her plate, and brought them to the sink while the other watched in silence.

"Angie…" Bobby started, a little shocked, "You don't have to do that."

"I always do it… where I used to live…" she mumbled, scrubbing the plates. She rinsed it, and wiped them dry. She gracefully slid the plates into the plate rack and sat back down.

"Why?" Angel asked, confused.

"Because they made me…"

Evelyn reached over for her and said, looking into Angie's eyes, "You don't have to do anything her for anyone else, ok? You're not a slave. You're my daughter now, Angie."

Angie merely nodded.

"Can I have Mika back?" she softly asked Jerry.

"Of course," Jerry handed him over.

"Thank you…"

Jack cleared his throat, "I'm going back to my room. I'll see you guys later for dinner."

Angel got up and cleared the table, and Jerry helped.

"I'm going to go out to the bar, Ma. I'll see you in a bit."

"The bar in the afternoon, Bobby?"

"Just going to meet up with some friends," and with that, Bobby was gone.

"Well, honey, it's just you, me and your little Mika," Evelyn smiled, "Do you want to help me make cookies?" Angie said ok and they got working.

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**Please tell me if you liked it or not. (And if I should continue)  
**

**xx **


	2. Bonding with the Mercers

**Hello. Presenting... Chapter 2! heh **

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**Previous Chapter:**

**Angel got up and cleared the table, and Jerry helped.**

**"I'm going to go out to the bar, Ma. I'll see you in a bit."**

**"The bar in the afternoon, Bobby?"**

**"Just going to meet up with some friends," and with that, Bobby was gone.**

**"Well, honey, it's just you, me and your little Mika," Evelyn smiled, "Do you want to help me make cookies?" Angie said ok and they got working.**

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**888  
That Night**

**888**

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"Come on, Angie," Evelyn called her up, "Bring up your luggage." Angie pulled her suitcase with her from which she left by the door when she came in and carried it up with her right hand. Her left hand was in her pocket the whole time, stroking Mika.

Evelyn brought her to the last room.

_No, no, no, no…_ Angie thought to herself. _Please, no…_

"Well, I'm sorry honey but there's not enough rooms to go around… you don't mind sharing a room with Jack, do you? Jerry had brought in a spare bed for you." Evelyn said. Angie bit her lip and shook her head. Evelyn smiled at her and knocked on the door. "Jack? Open the door," They heard shuffling coming from inside and within seconds, Jack was by the door, looking tired. His eyelids were fluttering and it seemed that he had been asleep.

"Jack, Angie will be sharing a room with you. Is that ok with you?" Evelyn asked, placing a hand on Angie's shoulder.

Poor child is trembling, Evelyn thought as she felt Angie's shoulders shaking.

Jack shook his head, "I don't mind, come on in," and Jack went to lie back down. Evelyn gently pushed Angie inside. "Get settled down, Angie," she whispered, "Have a good night's sleep." The door closed. Angie stood there for a while, and saw that her bed was against the window, and Jack's was diagonally right from hers against the wall. She tugged her luggage behind her, careful not to make any noise. The bed slightly creaked as she sat on it and swung her legs up onto it. She leaned her head against the window and looked out. There was a full moon tonight. Wait. What date is it today? She asked herself. She felt her something moving her pocket. She laughed softly. Oh, how could she forget Mika was in her pocket? She took him out and started stroking his back. She stared down at him and smiled at him when he looked up at her.

"Nice night, don't you think?" Jack's voice, muffled, came from across the room. Angie kept quiet. "Are you already asleep?" he yawned. "No…" Angie whispered. She heard him sitting up on his bed and he took out his guitar. "Mind if I play?" Angie knew he could see her and she shook her head, and continued to look out the window. A clear sky, she saw. There were no clouds. Just the shiny, full moon, ever so big and beautiful up there.

Jack strummed his guitar, probably checking if it was tuned. After a while of tuning and strumming, he started plucking softly. He was playing a very soft song, and start humming along. Angie turned her head to look at Jack. He was strumming, plucking and humming along. He had his eyes closed; it was as though he was feeling the music flow through him. His fingers gracefully slid up and down the fretboard, and he was using a red pick to pluck the strings.

He played a few more notes as Angie watched in silence. He strummed the last chord and opened his eyes. Then, he and Angie just stared at each other.

"That was nice," Angie mumbled, tearing her eyes away from his.

"Thanks," Jack set down his guitar and lied down, looking at the ceiling. "What song was that?" she asked.

"I wrote it myself," he gave a small smile and turned his head to the left to look at her, "So how did you get Mika?" Jack asked. He had always longed for someone to talk to during the nights, as he couldn't sleep and now he had someone. Angie smiled down at Mika and cradled him in her arms.

"Well… It was three months ago when I found him. I was sitting in the garden of my," she cringed, "past relative's and suddenly I heard someone shouting, 'Mouse! Get that rodent out of here!'" Angie imitated the voice of her aunt shrieking. Jack chuckled softly. "Then my cousin, Doug, came running out and he threw the mouse. If I didn't catch him, their cat would have eaten him. I kept him hidden in my room the whole time after that, sneaking in crumbs and bits of leftovers I get."

"What do you mean by, 'get'?"

"Any bits of leftover food. I was given leftover food to eat."

"That had to suck big time," Jack growled. _Angie seems like a really sweet girl. How could anyone treat her that way_, he thought to himself. "It sure did…" her soft voice trailed off.

"Well, you're his hero now." Jack got off his bed and onto his knees, "All hail the great Angie!" Angie started giggling, and nodded at him, "Why, thank you, kind sir!" Jack winked at her, "Anything for the fair maiden!" Someone started banging on the wall, "God damn it, kids! Get to sleep. Don't make me go in there!"

Jack tried to keep a straight face, "That's Bobby." Angie shuddered, "He scares me," Angie admitted, her pale cheeks turning pink. "Bobby's a nice guy, he just doesn't know how to show it. He's a tough sport and he's just… he's a nice guy." Jack smiled.

"I can hear you saying my name! Shut up! I want to get some sleep!"

Angie smiled. Jack got off the floor and back onto the bed, "Well, I'll try to get some sleep, and I'll talk to you in the morning?" He smiled. Angie nodded, and she opened her mouth, hesitating to say something.

"What is it?"

"Do you have anywhere to keep Mika in? I mean, well, to keep Mika in but also to let him roam around. Like the bathroom?" Angie mumbled, back to her mumbling self.

Jack nodded, "Give him to me," Angie hesitated, and gave him Mika. Jack stroked him and motioned for Angie to follow him but put a finger to his lips. They went out of their room and into the bathroom.

Once they were inside, Jack told Angie to hold Mika for a while and closed the toilet seat. He then asked Angie if she wanted to let him loose on the floor or leave him in the sink. Angie decided to use the sink. Angie asked Jack if she could have a small cloth so it wouldn't be too cold for Mika then. Jack took out a cloth from the cupboard and gave it to her. "Goodnight, Mika," she whispered, her nose touching it's body. Mika squeaked a little. Jack and Angie made their way back to their room and fell fast asleep after that.

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**888  
Next Morning  
888  
**

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Bobby got up and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his towel off the table and went to the bathroom. Just as he was doing his business, he heard a soft squeak. He looked up and saw a little white mouse. He shouted. 

"Holy fuck!" he said, zipping up his pants. "What the hell is a rodent doing in my bathroom!?" he shouted. Almost immediately, Angie ran in, grabbing Mika off the sink, red-faced, mumbling, apologizing and stammering so fast that Bobby didn't get a single word. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Say what?" he squinted at her. She hugged the mouse closer to her chest.

She took a deep breath and started again, "Mika always sleeps in the bathroom and- and- and Jack said I could put him in-in here so-so I left him in the sink. I'm sorry if Mika did anything and-and, well…" her voice lowered down to a whisper, "I'm sorry."

Bobby scratched at his head.

Well, this was a first. He had gone through gang fights, keeping bullies off Jack and tons more of other shit but never had he had a mouse watch him piss and furthermore, a little girl rushing in immediately. It was as though that mouse, Mika, was her only friend. Didn't he hear her and Jack bonding last night?

"Well, alright." He waved her off.

She stood there, so still Bobby was a little afraid she'd faint or something like that.

"Well?" Bobby asked her. "Aren't you going to punish me?" she asked timidly. "Uh. No. Why should I?" Bobby asked, his handsome features twisted. "Because I made you mad at me. Aunt Lavender would punish me when I made her mad." Angie softly answered. Bobby sighed and washed his hands in the sink, "Honey, I am not your Aunt Lavinia or whatever her name is. I am Bobby. I am your big brother now. I won't get mad at you unless you pluck out one of my nose hair or do something foolish. So I am not going to punish you." Angie nodded and turned away.

She felt Bobby's strong hands grab her by the shoulder and turn her around. She found herself looking up at Bobby by an inch or two. He smiled at her and hugged her, careful not to hug too hard. He stepped away.

"Well, do you mind if I do my business now?" he smirked.

Angie ran out.

Bobby chuckled, "Cute kid."

* * *

**888**

**In the afternoon**

**888**

* * *

"Afternoon, Angie," Jerry walked into the living room, "Where's Jack?" Angie sat at the table, playing with Mika, using a bottle cap. Angie immediately stopped twisting the bottle cap and took Mika off the table. 

"Um… in his room, still sleeping." She mumbled, not looking at him but down at the floor. "You feeling alright?" Jerry frowned. Angie took one glance at his face and saw his frown. Angie ignored his question, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"Do what?" Jerry scrunched his face up.

"I won't play with Mika on the table again." She mumbled.

"No, it's ok! Go ahead and play with him!"

She looked up at him through her fringe, "Really?"

"Yea, really! Hey, what's say you, me and Mika go out for ice cream?" Jerry bent down to her level. Her eyes lit up and Jerry felt a jolt go through him. Her eyes were beautiful. Her eyes were as clear as water, like a gentle stream. They were the colour green. They were both tormented and unique. It was as if, Jerry could see her sufferings just by looking into her eyes. It was as if… Jerry could feel her pain. He forced himself to smile at her, "Yea, really."

He held out a hand to her, "Let's go?"

She beamed happily, some colour returning to her pale cheeks. "Let's go!" she smiled.

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**888**

**That evening**

**888**

* * *

Angel came home with a girl, hand in hand. They were looking at each other slyly and giggling. He whispered something into her ear but then she tightened her grasp on his hand and nodded to something in front of him. There on the couch, in the living room, lied Angie, with Mika curled up besides her. Angel was a little surprised. She was wearing long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. It was summer. Angel whispered, "Sofi, watch her while I go see if anyone else is home." _Where was everyone_, Angel wondered. 

Sofi nodded and went to sit on the floor by the little girl. She pushed back the little girl's curls that were covering her face behind her ear. Sofi smiled. This must be one of Evelyn's adopted kids. _She's beautiful_, Sofi thought. Sofi always thought herself beautiful, but never admitted other girls were. But this one… she had a shine to her. She felt a hand placing itself on her shoulder and she looked up to find herself looking into Angel's chocolate eyes.

"She's beautiful," Sofi murmured.  
"So's my girl," Angel bent down and nuzzled into her neck. Sofi managed to stifle a giggle. Angel then said, "Sofi, can you change her into something less… well, something which will keep her cool." Sofi nodded, "Ok… but I need you to help carry her to her room," Sofi whispered. Angel did so; Sofi followed from behind, carrying Mika along and left the girls some privacy. Sofi set Mika on Jack's bed and it played hide and seek with itself under his covers.

Sofi opened up her luggage and went through her clothes. _That's weird… are all her clothes long sleeved or pants? _Sofi thought to herself. She pulled off Angie's pants gently and immediately clamped her hands over her mouth. Sofi felt tears burning her eyes. "Oh my God…" she whispered, her lower lip trembling.

Angie had beautiful legs. They were fair, and smooth. But there were stitches everywhere. Some were still healing. She has scars on her knees and her legs were practically bruised. Sofi felt tears streaming down her cheeks. Who could do such a thing to such a sweet looking little girl? What monster could possibly do this? Her body racked with sobs and she ran out into Angel's arms. She sobbed against his chest. "What's wrong?" Angel asked, squeezing her gently.

"I can't believe it!" she whispered, "Her legs, oh my God, Angel, they're, oh God." She sobbed. "Wait here, alright?" Angel went inside and immediately turned around, "Jesus. It's horrible. I'm going to call my Ma, alright?" He took out his cell phone and called Evelyn.

"Ma, where are you?"  
"Hi, Angel, dear. I'm at the shop, buying groceries."

Angel frowned a little.

"I know that you're home now and you're surprise to find the house empty with only Angie sleeping on the couch but she was sleeping so peacefully, we didn't want to disturb her."

"Ma, you have to come home soon. It's… Angie."

Evelyn was quiet for a while.

"Where's Bobby?" Angel asked, "And Jack plus Jerry?"

"Bobby came home early and they're outside in the car, waiting for me. I'll be home within minutes." Evelyn hung up.

Just like Evelyn said, she was home within minutes. She went up and took one look at Angie's legs and broke down crying. Sofi went to hug her. "What human would do this to her?" she asked between her sobs.

"Well, if I ever find out who did this, I'm going to skin that bastard!" Bobby growled and slammed his hand against the wall.

Big mistake.

Angie stirred. Everyone froze. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She opened her eyes to see everyone staring at her. She looked down and saw she wasn't wearing her pants. She gasped softly. Sofi leaned towards her, "Sweetie-"

"No! No! You weren't supposed to see this! You weren't! You weren't!" Angie shrieked, her eyes becoming big and wild. She immediately pulled the covers up, desperate to cover her legs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried. She wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees.

Jack was the first to speak, "Look, it's ok, Angie."

Angie looked up at him with her watery eyes.

Jack went over and sat to her. He looked at her as everyone fell silent for a moment, and hugged her. He pulled away, and using his thumb, he wiped away the tear that had fallen on her pale cheek. Sofi ran up to them, being her emotional self, and hugged them both, followed by Angel and soon it became a group hug.

They heard a squeak coming from across the room.

"Hey, we missed out Mika!" Bobby grinned.

Everyone started giggling and soon became outbursts of laughter.

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I hope you guys like this chapter! Took me an hour to do it XD hehe 

Reviews please! I_ think_ I deserve them hehe for this chapter :D Any questions, just ask!

**ihadnowittyusername**  
Nope, I'm going to delete the other one soon. Just didn't really had time to do it. I was working on this chapter hehe. And what's a beta? lol and thank you so much for the review :)

This chapter goes out to my reviewers, Darleen, mrcrockz06, RavenclawHermione94, and of course, ihadnowittyusername!


	3. School

Sorry for the late update! I hope ya like this chapter; I'm actually having a writer's block so it's not that good... reviews please??

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Two weeks has passed and it now was the evening before Angie's first day at school. Bobby was out, probably getting drunk somewhere; as Jerry had put it. Jerry was in the living room, watching Angel do Sudoku. "Man, you really suck at this, you know that?" Jerry chuckled, as he watched his brother's forehead creased and Angel began to erase the number he had just written down.

"Shut up, Jerry." He growled.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in Mathematics? Last I've checked, you hated Mathematics." Jerry grinned. Angel looked down at the small rectangular book in his hands and flipped several pages. "I just like it, ok?" Angel murmured. Jerry chuckled, "I believe you, brother. I believe you," Angel grinned. "Now get the fuck out of here," Angel elbowed Jerry in the stomach.

Jerry laughed and got up from the couch, "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room!" Jerry stretched and jogged up the stairs. Jack came down after a while. "Hey, Angel," Jack munched on a half eaten apple, "What're you doing?" He plopped next to Angel on the couch and settled his legs on the glass table. "Jack! Feet, off!" Angel playfully scolded him and ruffled up Jack's hair.

Jack gave him a deathly stare, "You're lucky you're bald," and strode out of the room, throwing his three quarter eaten apple up into the air, and catching it back. Angel watched as Jack's figure disappeared into the dining room. Angel smiled to himself, and turned his attention back to the Sudoku puzzle.

"One down… eighty more to go."

Jack walked into the dining table, throwing the apple into the bin nearby. He walked up to the counter and looked at the mirror that was hung there. He looked at his reflection in it, and did his hair properly.

"You're getting vain," Jack heard a playful voice coming from behind. Before he could turn around, he felt two arms wrapped around his stomach, and a soft giggle. "Angie!" he sighed happily. Angie gave him one of her cute grins, "Hi!" Jack smiled down at her.

It had been two long weeks till Angie finally settled in. At least now, she wasn't being her Cinderella self but instead, she was louder and more fun to be around with. "Where's Ma?" Angie puffed her cheeks up and Jack pushed them back down gently, "She's washing the dishes in the kitchen; I was just about to help her. Want to come?" Angie asked, putting her hand in her pocket. Jack sighed.

"What… what's wrong?" The excitement in Angie's voice has disappeared. Jack squat down to her eye level (he was a head and a half taller then her) and smiled at her warmly. "You do know you're a part of the family, aren't you? You don't have to be scared or hide anything at all. I'm always here for you, lil sis." Jack pinched her cheek softly. Angie's lips spread into a small smile.

"Aw, come on! Is that all you've got?" Jack poked her stomach, and Angie laughed. She grinned. Jack smiled at her and hugged her, "I love that smile of yours. Now, let's go help Ma in the kitchen." Angie nodded and skipped off, holding Mika in her hands.

**Two hours later**

Evelyn, Jerry, Angel, Jack and Angie sat at the dining table, eating. Bobby wasn't there yet. Silence filled the air. You could only hear the clanking of the forks and spoons against the plates and Angie whispering to Mika, resting quietly in her hands. Suddenly, they heard a rough knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Angie scrambled off her chair and ran to open the door. When she did, she got a huge shock. "Oh my God! Bobby!?!" she freaked out. Jerry came running and Angel came too, bringing his plate of spaghetti along. Evelyn walked in, and she got a good shock. Well, all of them did.

Bobby looked a mess. His nose was bleeding, he had a few cuts on his face (the forehead, cheeks and lips) and his right eye was swollen. "Hey, kids!" He grinned at them. His face looked purple. Angie giggled. Bobby reminded her of the Singing Bob Cat in Alice In Wonderland. A cop stood beside Bobby.

"He got into a fight at the bar. Please make sure this will not happen again." He nodded and went off. "Must be a new guy," Jerry said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Not knowing this happens almost every month."

"Fuck yea, he don't know who he messing with!" Bobby tumbled over and went face flat on the floor. "Dude… that had to hurt," Jack twitched his nose in disgust. "Your guitar will be in the bin in you're not careful with your words, lil' fairy!" Bobby's voice, muffled while still lying on the floor face down. Angie giggled. Bobby got up and dumped himself on the couch and tapped on the seat next to him, "Angie, come here," he smiled at her. Angie jumped onto the couch, and gently set Mika on her lap. "You really love that little rat, don't you?" Bobby poked Angie's cheeks. Angie dodged him and poked him back. "Of course, he's my best friend."

Bobby nodded, and leaned back against the couch, "Well, tomorrow you'll have real human proper friends with two hands, a pair of eyes, proper hair and speak the human language."

"Can I bring Mika to school with me?" Angie asked, stroking Mika's soft fur, and Mika squeaked softly.

Bobby looked at Jack, who looked at Jerry, who looked at Evelyn, who then turned to Angel. He was slurping the spaghetti off this plate. He was so engrossed he didn't realize everyone was staring at him until Jerry cleared his throat. Angel looked up from his plate, a little surprised to see everyone staring at him.

"What?" he asked innocently, stuffing a meatball into his mouth.

"Now we know why Sofi always comes over or calls Angel over. He's got skills." Bobby burped. The whole lot except Angie and Angel started laughing. Jack practically screamed with laughter, and fell to the floor, kicking his legs on the floor. He got up, stomped, and lied back down, rolling from left to right repeatedly. Angel stomped off into the kitchen. "What's so funny?" Angie asked, balancing Mika on her little head. "Nothing, darling," Evelyn smiled at her, "Come, let's go to bed. You have to wake up early tomorrow." Angie rubbed her eyes, "But I'm not sleepy…" she murmured, and yawned. Jerry chuckled, "That's so cute."

Jack finally stopped laughing and got off the floor. "I'll take her to the room," he said to Evelyn over his shoulder. Evelyn nodded.

**That Night**

Jack sat on his bed, strumming his guitar and humming along. Angie went to the bathroom down the hallway. He smiled…

"Ohh, yeah…" He sang, and closed his eyes. Angie was about to enter into the room, but just as she was about to turn the doorknob, she heard him sing softly…

_It's times like this when I wish you were here,  
You were my light, you'd take away all of my fears,  
It's times like this when I wish I could heal,  
But I don't know… ohh…  
Maybe time will tell what I feel…_

_Can you feel the warm heat from the sun on your face?  
Can you feel the clouds move up, high in the sky…._

**(A/N: I wrote this song, didn't get it anywhere else) **_  
_

He stopped, "Damn it… wrong chord…" Angie decided to walk in.

"That was a nice song you played, Jack," she smiled at him. He stared up at her, his mouth hanging open. "You were listening from outside?"

"Yea… I was. It was good." Angie grinned at him. Jack slapped his forehead, "You shouldn't have been listening!" Angie moved back a little. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "Are you mad at me?" Jack sighed and put his guitar down, "I'm not mad at you, Angie, I'm just… it's just that I don't like it when people listen to me play a song when it's not good or finished yet… and the song I just sang wasn't finished and the lyrics were wrong. Next time… please don't listen, ok?" Angie nodded.

"Come here," Jack held out his hand and Angie took it. He pulled her to him and hugged her, resting his chin on top of her little head. He smoothed back her hair and kissed the top of her head, "Go to sleep. You've got school tomorrow."

"I'm scared. I don't want to go to school," Angie mumbled against his chest. Jack chuckled, "I don't either, but we must. Do you want Ma to go to jail? That's what happens to parents who don't send their children to school."

Angie's eyes grew big and she shook her head. Jack smiled at her. "So, what must you do?" he said playfully. "I must go to school," Angie rolled her eyes. Jack laughed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Very cute. Now, off!"

Angie went onto her bed and sat against the wall, looking out the window. "Jack?" Jack had already switched off the lights and was about to go to bed too. "Yea?"

"Can you tuck me in?"

Jack went up to her and lied her down, and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and whispered good night. "Night, Jack! I love you," Angie mumbled. Jack whispered back, "I love you too, kid." He went to his bed and lied down. Jack rolled over and fell asleep. Angie lied down and snuggled up to a toy Jerry had bought for her. It was a little chipmunk, which was indeed very cute and cuddly. She soon fell fast asleep.

**Next Morning**

"No, you are not bringing the mouse."

"But I want to!"

"No, Angie!"

"But-but- "

"Don't 'but' me, missy. You are not bringing it to school." Bobby told her.

Angie stuffed a spoon of cereal into her mouth, "But I want to," she said, while munching on the cereal.

Bobby flicked water at her, "No means no, sweetheart."

Jerry came into the kitchen, twirling the car keys in his left hand.

"Jerry, Bobby is bullying me," Angie grumbled. Bobby spluttered, "I am not!" Jerry laughed, "Angel spent the night at Sofi's place." Bobby grinned. Jack came into the kitchen, humming to an unknown tune. He took an apple off the counter and bit into it, "You guys might want to hurry; it's 10 minutes to 8am. School starts at 8am." Jerry cursed under his breath. "Ok, Angie and Jack, get into the car! Now!"

"Angie, come on!" Jack took her by her hand and brought her to the office. He registered her name and soon, the secretary gave him Angie's new schedule and everything else that she needed. Jack led her to her class and knocked on the door. He opened it and saw a pleasantly plump woman standing in front of the class, with a history book opened before her. Everyone was looking at him. "Hi, my name's Jack, and I'm here to drop off my little sister, Angie. She's new." Jack turned around and gently pulled Angie inside the class.

The teacher smiled warmly at them and stood up, "Hello, dear. My name is Mrs. Katherine but you can call me Mrs. Kat." Angie shyly nodded and waved a little. "So, it's safe for me to leave my sister here?" he joked. Mrs. Kat laughed, "Yes, it's safe. Angie, dear, why don't you go sit next to Hunter, that boy in the third row?" Angie looked at Jack and he nodded, "Go on." Angie hugged him and he hugged her back, then pushed her towards the seats.

Angie walked to her table and sat down. Jack waved to her and went out of the door within a blink of an eye. "Hey, I'm Hunter."

Angie turned to look at the boy beside her.

She blushed, "Angie."

"Nice to meet you," he smiled.

_You too_, Angie thought to herself… _You too._

* * *

Hm... why did Angie Blush eh? hehehe. Review to find out. Who's Hunter? What's going to happen during Angie's first day at her new school? Review to find out

* * *


	4. You and I Collide

* * *

I don't own any characters except those which are NOT in the movie :)

I love my little Angie...

I don't own the songs, or anything else that are by artists.  
Song below is "Collide - Howie Day".

Review :)  
(Sorry for the late update! Hope ya like!)

* * *

The school bell rang. 

The doors opened and students began pouring out of the building – fast.

Angie hopped down the stairs, her ponytail bobbing up and down. She felt someone tug her hair from behind and turned to protest, "Hey, stop – Oh. Hey, Hunter." She smiled at him. "Hey there, lil Angie!" he grinned and winked at her. His eyes focused on something behind her and ran past her, shouting goodbye. Angie turned and saw him jumping into the school bus, which pulled away right after he hopped on. She could barely see him looking back, waving to her. She blushed.

"So I'm wondering, ya see. My little sister is blushing while staring after a bus that's going around the corner, yeah, and she doesn't realize her big brother watching her eh?" Jack chuckled behind her, putting on a fake accent.

"Jackie!" Angie ran to him and hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He laughed, and ruffled her hair. She looked up to smile at him, and she frowned when she saw he was almost a head taller than her. "Aw, that's amazingly adorable!" a light feminine voice cooed. Jack froze. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your little friend, Jackie?" Angie pulled away and found herself staring at a girl.

She was pretty tall. She wasn't very pretty, but she had nice dimples. She had freckles scattered on her cheeks, which made her look younger than 15. Her eyelashes were curled and her eyebrows perfectly plucked. Her lips were thin, and she had dull, brown eyes. Her hair was down till half her back, and she had clipped up her fringe with a neon coloured clip, which stood out easily. She was slim, and had few curves. She wasn't what you'd call stunning, but decent and sweet… when you first see her.

"Hello Bridgette." Jack murmured, trying to pull Angie closer to him. Angie looked up at the girl who was looking at Jack with a weird expression on her face. "How are you, and who is this?" she crooned in a sickening sweet tone. "I'm fine, thanks, and this is my special little girl, Angie." He said, hesitating to reveal who Angie was. "Aw, no wonder!" she smiled. Angie cringed. Usually when people smile, their face lights up and their teeth sparkled. However, this girl looked like she ate a sour prune and didn't brush her teeth for a few days. She began asking Jack all sorts of questions. After five minutes, she asked Jack, "Could I come over for dinner tonight?"

Jack's grasp on Angie tightened and Angie nearly cried out if it weren't for a sing-song voice which interrupted them, and crashed into her.

"God, I'm so sorry!" she chirped. Angie looked up and saw a tall, slender girl towering over her. "JACK!!!!" she practically screamed into his right ear, making him flinch and lose his balance for several seconds. Bridgette was steaming. Angie looked around and saw that there weren't much people left. Most had gone home. "God, Cassandra! Don't ever do that again!! I'll end up deaf!" Jack wailed, pulling a face. She giggled, "That's the whole point, Jack!".

"Sorry, Bridgette, darling, but I'm going to have to steal Jack and this little cutie here from yah! Bye!" she grinned, and pulled Angie and Jack both by the arms and marched off to the sidewalk.

She dragged them to one of the benches prepared there, and sat down, "You owe me, Jackie."

"Shut it, Cass,"

"Hah, she was so onto you!"

"Cass… quiet,"

"Who's this little sweetie?"

"My Angel,"

"Peadophile."

"She's my sister, Cass!"

"Ahhh, why didn't you say so?!"

Angie felt dizzy. Why were there so many hyper and loud people in the world these days? It is a good thing, but this was just her first day at school. Angel sat down next to Cass. Cass wrapped one arm around Angie's shoulder and grinned at her, "Hey there, I'm Cassandra, or you can call me Cass." Angie flushed and nodded, "Hello…"

"She's so polite, Jack! She can't be your sister!" Cass teased him. Jack grinned and flicked his hair, "Well, I guess I am a bad boy." Cass rolled her eyes, "Please, Jack, spare me." Jack laughed, and shove Cass's shoulder lightly, and sat on her right side, "So why were you screaming in my ear earlier?"

"Oh. I'm. Getting. Braces."

"Oh, sucks. I had them…"

"Yeah. Tomorrow, they're going to prod and poke my mouth."

Jack laughed, "More like mould and x-ray it, Cass. I've been there, done that."

Cassie grinned, and turned her attention to Angie, "So, sweetie, tell me about yourself. What music you listen to, your favourite animal, and how was school today?" Angie shot a look at Jack, questioning him, and he smiled warmly at her, and nodded. "I'm twelve years old, I've been living with Jack for the past two or three weeks… I listen to whatever Jackie listens to. I like his music," Angie slowly placed her words. Cass smiled, "Yeah, he sure has good taste in them. Go on." Angie bit her lip, "Mika is my pet mouse. My favourite animal is actually the lion, but I can't have it as a pet… so I'll settle for Mika. School was fine today…"

"Gosh, you're adorable. Mika is a really nice name… and you seem really mature, kid." Cass smiled at her. Angie smiled back and looked down at her hands. "Come on, Angie, tell Cass about that boy you met today," Jack cut in.

Angie blushed a deep shade of red and shook her head slightly. "Oh, come on!" Jackie urged her. "He's… nice."

Before either of them could say anything else, a car honk startled them all, and it turned out to be Jerry, coming to pick them up. "Jerry!!" Angie's eyes brightened and she ran towards the car, as Jerry stepped out. She crashed into him, and he lifted her up and swung her in a circle, "How's my little Angel?" She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good!" she grinned. "Oh, look at Jackie and that stunning girl right there!"

Both stared as Jack and Cass muttered a few words to each other, and he stepped forward to give her a hug. He whispered a few words in her ear, and she nodded. He pulled away and smiled at her. Cass chuckled and said something. Jack's expression turned horrified as he turned his head to look at us. He gaped. Cass broke out laughing and patted his back. She walked away after waving to Angie and Jerry.

Jack jogged to us, and the first thing he said was, "Zip it, the both of you."

"I didn't say nothing, Jack." Jerry calmly said, trying to hide a smile.

"Me neither, Jack." Angie said, trying to imitate Jerry.

"Ok, get your asses in the car. Time to go home. I smell Ma's cooking from here!" Jerry exclaimed and all three of them hopped into the car, and drove home.

* * *

**IN THE HOUSE**

* * *

"Come on, Angie! Let's go play some guitar!" Jack shouted down the stairs.

"Coming, Jack!" Angie scooped Mika up from his 'doll house', which Bobby had made for him. Angie ran up the stairs, careful not to drop Mika and went into Jack's room.

She saw Jack sitting on his bed, shirtless, strumming his guitar. All he was wearing were shorts and gray socks. "What song shall I play today?" Jack murmured, "Give me a song, Angie!"

Angie thought about the songs Jack had on his computer…

"Collide by Howie Day," she smiled. Jack smiled back. "Collide it is, then."

He cleared his throat. Angie went and lied down on her bed on her stomach, letting Mika crawl and play all over her. Jack plucked a few notes and began strumming.

The dawn is breaking  
A light shining through  
You're barely waking  
And I'm tangled up in you  
Yeah

I'm open, you're closed  
Where I follow, you'll go  
I worry I won't see your face  
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills my mind  
I somehow find  
You and I collide

I'm quiet you know  
You make a first impression  
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the stars refuse to shine  
Out of the back you fall in time  
I somehow find  
You and I collide

Don't stop here  
I lost my place  
I'm close behind

Even the best fall down sometimes  
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme  
Out of the doubt that fills your mind  
You finally find  
You and I collide

You finally find  
You and I collide  
You finally find  
You and I collide

* * *

How is it:)

Reviews pls.

BTW... Cass is actually based on a real friend of mine. She's great, witty, clumsy, funny and caring, just like my close friend, Kimberley. This chapter goes out to you ;)  
For the coming chapters...  
For my fellow reviewers.

* * *


	5. Dear Diary

**Sorry I haven't updated in quite some time. I know I've tortured a friend of mine who's dying to read this new chapter. I'm sorry ahaha. **

**Anyways, I wrote this in school when I was in school, having a free period. I only had 20 minutes to type this whole thing out, so I'm sorry for any grammatical mistakes or wrong sentence structures. Heh.**

**So enjoy :)**

* * *

_Dear diary,  
I've been living with the Mercers for over 3 months now. I love it here, it's really cool. I've got 3 big brothers, who are so protective of me; especially Bobby. Jack's out with Cass, I think. Something tells me he likes her more than just a friend hehe._

_Angel's out with Sofi, and Bobby is at the hockey rink._

_I've got a secret to tell you, which involves Bobby…_

_On Friday, Hunter walked me home from school, cause Jerry couldn't come pick me up. When we stepped onto the front porch, Hunter stood really close to me. I admit, I think Hunter is really cute._

_I didn't know Bobby was watching us from the inside. Hunter made me blush by smiling at me, and he suddenly leaned forward as if to kiss my cheek. The door immediately slammed open, and Bobby looked really red. He was tryin' to control his temper in front of Hunter, but said in a very threatening tone, "You best walk away from here now before you end up in a wheelchair."_

_Bobby's so mean!! I could have gotten my first peck on the cheek, but Bobby ruined it. He's so mean._

_Anyways, I hear Ma calling me to help her wash the dishes. School tomorrow… I hope Hunter won't treat me differently… I'll apologize to him tomorrow :)_

Angie slammed her little diary close and hopped down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and saw Evelyn smiling warmly at her. She smiled back, "Evening, Ma".

"Hello, sweetheart," Evelyn greeted her, and handed her a wet cloth, "Wash these dishes, dry them and stack them neatly on the rack, alright?" Angie nodded, and start scrubbing the dishes. Evelyn sat at the table and started on her knitting, while observing Angie.

She was such a bright little girl. She knew many things girls her age around the area didn't. She read quite a number of Jerry's classic books and she now knew how to cook and play a bit of guitar. Angel had taught her how to do Sudoku and after three days of learning it, she could solve a problem in less than 5 minutes. She was a fast learner.

The front door was heard being opened, and closed, followed by a lock. Two male voices could be heard distantly.

Bobby and Jack were home._  
So they were at the hockey rink together... _Angie thought.

"Hey Ma," Bobby walked in, followed by Jack and kissed Evelyn on the cheek. Evelyn smiled at him, and touched his cheek, "Hello, Bobby and Jack." Jack smiled at her, "Hi, Ma." Bobby looked at Angie who had her back facing him. He grinned. He winked at Jack, who shook his head, and poked her sides from behind. Angie yelped and dropped a dish. It fell to the cement floor and broke into several pieces. "Bobby!!" Angie yelled, her usually pale face turning a bright red. Jack cracked up laughing and Bobby jumped away, laughing his ass off. Evelyn gave him a disapproving look. "Look what you made me do, Bobby!" Angie shouted, glaring at him. Jack chuckled, which made Angie even more furious. "Jack, it's not funny, damn it!" Angie growled. Bobby stuck his tongue out at her, "Yes, it is, and oo you swore!" Angie shuddered angrily, "I'm living with you. Of course I would be swearing!"

Evelyn frowned, "Angie, enough. Bobby, apologize."

Bobby grinned mischieviously, "She's just pissed at me for chasing away that guy who walked her home that day."

"What boy?" Jack's eyebrow raised, a small smile appearing on his face. Angie's cheeks flushed, "No one." She bent down to pick up what was left of the broken dish and threw them into the trash can. "Some guy named Hunter. Walked the girl home and was gonna peck her on the cheek until I interrupted them," Bobby said, opening the fridge and took out a bottle of beer. Angie gaped, "How do you know his name?!"

Bobby winked at her, "I know everyone in Detroit, kid," and walked off into the living room.

Evelyn chuckled at the expression on Angie' face. Jack walked up to her, draping an arm around her shoulder, "Come on, cheer up." Angie faced him and startled him by hugging him. She buried her face into his chest. Jack's eyes widened a little, but wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back soothingly. "Why must Bobby be so mean?" Angie mumbled into his chest. Jack bit his lip, trying to think of an answer. "Bobby's an ass, that's why."

Angie giggled. Evelyn smiled at the sight of them. It was really sentimental, to see a brother and sister embracing.

He had his arms around her shoulders, and resting his chin on her head. She had her arms around his waist, and her hands were holding each other. It was really a touching sight.

Angie pulled away and smiled up at him, "I love you, Jack." He smiled back, ruffling up her hair, "Love you too, Angie. Wanna go up and play with my guitar?" Angie's chocolate eyes shone and she nodded excitedly, "Yes!" Jack held her by the hand and tugged her along.

They ran up the stairs.

"You know, the way those two act… makes me think wrong thoughts," Bobby called out to Evelyn. The chattering from upstairs stopped abrutbly.

"I heard that Bobby!!!!" both Angie and Jack yelled.

Evelyn chuckled.

Another night at the Mercer's house, she smiled to herself.

* * *

**NEXT MORNING**

* * *

"Jack," Angel's voice came from behind the door, "Someone's here."

Jack rolled over in bed and groaned, "Tell whoever it is to come back in 3 hours time." He heard Angel walking away, and heard him telling that person to just wait for a few minutes. He looked at his wrist-watch and saw that it was 7.00a.m. on the dot. Angie slowly sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Jack opened one eye, and watched her. She blindly got out of bed and took out a pair of clean clothes out from her drawer and dumped it on her bed. She dragged her feet across the room and walked out the door. Jack smiled, and closed his eyes again, snuggling against his pillow, falling asleep again. He heard the water running next door and after 15 minutes, it stopped. There was suddenly a soft thud. "Ffff- damn!" he heard Angie's muffled voice. He felt a grin spread onto his face. Angie then came back draped in a towel, wet hair clinging to her face.

**  
[A/N: It's normal and comfortable for the both of them already. In the movie, the Mercer brothers shared a bathroom all at once. So why not in this one?**

"What happened?" Jack muttered, eyes closed. "I slipped," Angie sheepishly said. Jack could imagine her blushing. He chuckled softly and rolled over, lying on his stomach now.

Suddenly, the door burst open. "Jack, buddy! Hey! Remember me? Iiii- oh. Um. Hey. Girl. Uh. Hi."

If it was even possible, Angie's face turned paler than usual.

Jack frowned and opened his eyes.  
He gaped.

"Kyle?" Jack gaped.

**[A/N: Felt like leaving a cliffy, but decided to write more :) **

Kyle's eyes darted from Angie to Jack, then back and forth again, like he was watching a tennis match. "I'll… wait outside."

He closed the door. Few seconds later, he could be heard going down the stairs.

Angie shuddered, "Who was that?" Jack sat up in bed and faced the wall, giving Angie some privacy to wear her clothes as usual. His hands clenched into fists, and his fist was so balled up you could see his veins. "Trust me, Angie. Stay away from him. He's bad news," he growled. Angie zipped up her jeans and threw on her socks. Jack turned around and stripped his shirt off, changing into a new one.

Angie wrinkled her nose, "Aren't you going to shower? We've got school in 30 minutes."

Jack grabbed his comb off the table and looked into the mirror, fixing his hair, "Nah, Angie. I smell good anyways."

Angie and Jack went down, laughing and chatting together. Kyle was sitting in the living room, and watching television with Bobby, who was lying on the couch with his feet up.  
"So how do you know Jack?" Bobby grunted.

"We used to be friends."  
"Used to?"  
"Long story."

Bobby shrugged it off.

Jack walked into the living room, his expression turning serious. He stood in front of Kyle, and Kyle stood up. They shook hands.  
"Peterson." Jack solemnly said Kyle's surname.

"Mercer." Kyle nodded.

"Hold on," Jack told him, and walked to Angie, "Hey sweetheart, you go off to school, alright? I'll see you sometime then." Behind Jack, Angie could see Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Um… ok." Angie nodded.

She went into the kitchen and ate her breakfast. Jack heard Angel greeting Angie and Jerry was talking to Evelyn about politics. Bobby lied on the couch like the lazy ass he was.

Facing Kyle, he growled, "What do you want, Peterson?"  
Kyle smiled, "Let's take this outside."

* * *

** Ahaha**

**Peterson is actually the name of my good friend's friend. :)  
So do review and tell me how you like it. **

**Any requests? I'll gladly take them and think of them and ways to add them to the story.  
I could even make you a character in this fic if you review enough ;) **

**xx **


	6. How Do You Know Jack Mercer?

**Sorry I didn't update earlier. Couldn't think of anything to write, plus my computer had deleted all my documents... Gah.  
Sorry it's a lil short as well, but hey.  
It's still something :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. **

* * *

"So, who's the girl, Jackie boy?" Kyle grinned as Jerry's car disappeared around the corner. Jack's hands balled up into fists as he tried to control his temper. "Leave her be, Kyle," Jack spat at him, hissing, "She has nothing to do with you." Kyle chuckled. Jack took in several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "Well, Jackie- "

"Don't call me that."

Kyle held his hands up as if he was surrendering, "Alright, man. Chill."

"What do you want? Hurry up, I'm gonna be late for school."

"I want a lot of things, Jack…" Kyle said, his expression suddenly softening. Even his voice became a whisper. Kyle looked at Jack from head to toe, as if he was checking Jack out. Jack became uncomfortable, "That was a long time ago, Kyle. Go away, please. Let what happened in the past remain in the past."

Kyle smiled sadly, "You've grown a lot, Jackie boy."

Jack watched as Kyle walked away, and disappeared down the road.

* * *

Angie sat at her desk, playing with a strand of her hair nervously. Hunter would be coming in any second and she had to talk to him about… yeah. The time where Bobby embarrassed her and scared Hunter away. She heard giggling coming from outside the classroom door and saw that Hunter was surrounded by two girls, and three other guys. The two girls were the best of friends, and they were absolute snobs.

Kayleigh Sprouts and Helena Suds were not to be messed with. They basically were the popular ones in the Grades 8. Mess with them, and the next day, when you come to school, everyone will be looking at you like you were a leper. Everyone was dying to be friends with the girls, but they didn't really talk to anyone beside the guys and a couple of girls who were considered 'cool'.

The three guys were on the soccer team. They were Blake Summers, Travis Larson and Nathan Wallace. Blake Summers was your ordinary summer kid. He had a tan and looked Mexican when he was actually pure American. Travis was a rocker. He had his own band and was considered the cutest guy in Grade 8. Nathan was much more different though. He was quiet, and quite an intelligent person. He was often teased by the guys for being teacher's pet but Travis would always be there to back him up.

Angel saw that Hunter was grinning that adorable grin of his and thumped Travis on the back, half yelling out, "Well, good on ya! Told you that it would come true!" Travis grinned and nodded. Angel closed her eyes, '_Come on, you can do this. Just go up to him, and ask to speak with him alone_,' she told herself. She mentally kicked herself and finally got up. She walked towards the group.

"Hey guys."

All of them immediately stopped talking and looked at her. Hunter looked everywhere but her eyes. She felt her heart twinge. Ouch.

"Um, Hunter, can we talk?"

"Ye-ah…"

Angie bit her lip, "In private?"

Kayleigh snickered, "What? You gonna confess your love for Hunter?" Angie felt her cheeks turn red as Helena laughed, "Girl, you don't stand a chance with Hunter."

Angie felt her eyes becoming watery. She said, her voice shaking, "I know that. I just want to say I'm sorry how Bobby treated you, Hunter." Hunter simply nodded, "It's fine."

Angie tried to smile at him and walked back to her desk. She sat down and buried her face in her arms. '_Don't cry_," she told herself, '_Go find Jackie during lunch. He'll comfort you_.' The bell rang and Angie wiped her face with her hands.

The teacher swiftly entered the class, and told them to open their Literature textbook to page 153.

Angie mentally groaned. Four more hours…

* * *

"Jackie!" Angie squealed and leaped into her brother's arms. He chuckled, "Hey, you. Missed me?" Angie nodded vigorously. Jack saw that her eyes were slightly red and it appeared as if she was crying earlier.

"What's wrong?" he softly said, pulling her tighter against him.

Angie bit her lip to stifle the sobs. She couldn't get Kayleigh's and Helena's words out of her head. They kept playing over and over again, like a radio on crack.

"I'm… not…" she sobbed, "good enough… to talk to… Hunter…" she sniffled and tightened her arms around Jack's waist. Jack frowned. He held her close to him, and walked her to an empty table.

"Wait here, I'll go get us some food. Cass should be here in a while, okay?" Jack smiled gently at her, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. She nodded and blinked back the tears. She watched Jack grab a tray and got in line. She lied her head on the table, keeping her eyes on Jack. She didn't notice the figure reaching out from behind her and suddenly…

Angie yelped.

She heard a familiar giggle and saw that it was Cass who had poked her sides. She squinted her eyes at Cass, as if to say, "Meanie". Cass chuckled and sat down next to her. "Cute kid," Cass winked. Angie pouted, "I'm not really a kid, ya know." Cass laughed, "Sure you aren't, kiddo."

"Meanie."

"That's my specialty."

"Being a meanie/"

"Mhm."

"Meanie."  
"Thanks."

Jack then got back and placed a plate of noodles in front of Angie, "It looks bad but it tastes alright. Hey, Cass." He bit into a sandwhich, only to have it taken out of his hands and into Cass' hands. "Oi!" Jack protested.

Cass bit into it, "Mm. Tuna. Good choice, Jack." Angie giggled. Jack stuck his tongue out at Cass, who crossed her eyes at him. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Angie.

"Angie, just forget about that jerk. Hunter isn't good enough for you." Jack muttered, rubbing her back. Angie gulped. "That's right, honey! No guy will ever be good enough for you if he makes you cry," Cass nodded, "Although I have no idea what happened… I'm sure he isn't worth your tears, sweetheart." Angie smiled at Cass. "There ya go. You've got a beautiful smile, Angie," Cass winked at her. Angie grinned and began to dig into her noodles.

Angie felt someone tap her from behind. She turned around and saw that it was Kayleigh. Beside Kayleigh, stood Helena. "We need to talk to you," Helena said. Jack stood up, "Oh yeah? What about?" It looked rather comical. After all, Jack was almost two heads taller than they were. "Stuff," Kayleigh struggled to say. Angie slowly stood up, "I'll go, Jack." Jack's forehead creased, "You sure?"

Angie nodded.

Just as she was about to leave, Jack pulled her in for a hug, "Take care, Angie. I'll see you after school, alright?" Angie smiled and nodded, "See you, Jackie."  
"Bye, sweetheart," Cass waved.

Angie was pulled out of the cafeteria by Kayleigh and Helena, and into the girls' bathroom.

A stall was occupied and Helena banged on it. The door opened and Angie saw a small Grade 8 girl in there. "Get out," Helena growled menacingly. The small girl quickly left.

After making sure the coast was clear, Helena and Kayleigh cornered Angie into the wall.  
Angie nervously said, "What do you want?"  
They stared at her.

"Ok, spill. How do you know Jack Mercer?" Kayleigh demanded, putting her arms on her waist.

* * *

** Oh, yet another... kinda cliffy? Ahahah XD **

**What's Kyle up to? Why did he check out Jack's body? Ack.  
If you manage to guess what I have in store for you guys, you get to tell me what you want in the next chapter, and I will write it for you :p   
**

** Do you guys wanna see more Kayleigh & Helena, or more Hunter, Blake, Travis & Nathan? Or perhaps both? **

**So I need you guys to help me with a name. It's going to be a female's name. Come on guys, give me a name :p  
Review please for more...  
The more reviews I get, the more I'll write, the faster you get chapters.  
Feel free to give ideas/suggestions.  
I'll take them into consideration :)**

This chapter goes out to all those who reviewed. 

* * *


	7. New Friends

**Author's Note:  
**

**Okay, sorry this took so long, but I either was busy or too lazy to update.  
Plus, I need support...**

**Any ideas or suggestions will be taken in consideration :)**

**Tell me what you want to see in the story, and I'll try to put it in :) **

**Reviews would boost me to update faster.**

* * *

Angie looked at both girls, struck by confusion and surprise

"Uh, what?" Angie raised an eyebrow.  
Kayleigh sighed impatiently, "How in the world do you know Jack Mercer? We know he wouldn't date someone like you… or maybe he would, but anyways, spill it!" Helena was taking in deep breaths.

"Uh, he's my brother…"

"**WHAT**!?" Kayleigh and Helena yelled out at the same time. "Hell no! No way in hell can he be your brother!" Helena shrieked. Angie was taken back, "Why not…?"

"He's like the hottest and cutest guy in this school!" Kayleigh put her hands over her cheeks and grinned madly, "He is so adorable and that smile of his…" Helena leaned against the sink, sighing. Kayleigh smiled as she looked up at the ceiling.

Poor Angie was seriously dumbstruck. These two girls were… obsessed with her big brother. Wow, Angie though, wonders never cease…

Helena suddenly snapped her fingers, "I've got an idea. Angie, you introduce us to Jack. We'll help you become popular and one of the hottest kids in our year." Angie brightened up at this idea, "Really?"

Helena nodded, "Yeah, definitely. We'll help you pick out the latest styles, do your hair and make-up for you and well, you'll rule the year with us." Angie's eyes shone and she didn't stop to think. She nodded excitedly and startled the two girls by hugging them tightly.

Kayleigh wriggled herself out of Angie's grasp.

"Okay, rule number one, no hugging me unless I say so," Kayleigh said, holding her hands up.

Angie nodded, "Noted."

"Rule number two; if you see a really cute guy, you have to tell us. We'll decide on whether you should go for him, or if he's a loser. Rule number three; you have to sit with us during lunch. Rule number four; you have to spill everything about Jack to us. Rule number five; you have to keep us updated with Jack news. As for number six; you have to get Jack to notice us within the next one month, maybe just even smile at us. Deal?"

Angie thought about it…

"Deal."

They went back to the canteen, arm-in-arm.

Cass noticed them and nudged Jack, "Isn't that Angie with them sl-"

Jack clamped his hand over Cass's mouth. "Not here, Cass." Cass mumbled behind his hand and rolled her eyes at him before pulling away. Jack kept his eye on his little sister. She seemed happier than earlier, and waved for her to come sit with him. Angie grinned and was starting to walk towards him when Helena just yanked her back and pushed her in the opposite direction, "Nah uh, you're sitting with us!"

"But he saw us!" Angie exclaimed.

"We know! Duh!" Kayleigh groaned, "You're such a newbie to this, Angie. We're going to make him come over to us!"

Angie frowned, but nevertheless nodded.

They came to the table Angie had always admired from far.  
Hunter was there.

"Hey guys, this is…" Helena looked at Angie for her name. "Angie."

"Yea, right, this is Angie. She's new to the group, so yeah, whatever. Just make her feel welcomed. Oh, and Gary, do get rid of that fringe. You look horrible with it," Helena said monotonously and sat down. Kayleigh sat in her spot, which left me to sit with Hunter.

Side by side.

Angie timidly shuffled her feet and sat down, looking down at her hands as she rest them on her thighs. "Hey, Angie," she heard a male voice say and she grinned, thinking it was Hunter. She looked up and saw it was Daniel. Daniel was older than Angie by two years. He was considered the coolest guy in school, just because his aunt was married to one of the judges on Britain's Got Talent show and he appeared in several commercials. He was also in the football team, which made him even more desirable. Even some of the senior girls are crazy over him. Daniel was rather good looking. He was about 5'7 and a half, and had dark coloured hair. His hair was wavy and soft, and whenever he smiled, dimples would appear. He had blue-ish eyes, which match his rather pale skin and he had a good body. It was fit, he had abs and he also had broad shoulders. His voice was smooth and low, causing many girls to fall under his 'spell'.

"Oh, hey."  
Angie felt her cheeks turn pink, maybe red. She wasn't sure.

"So, doing anything this weekend?"

Angie gripped her chair tightly with one hand, and shook her head.

"Cool, wanna go watch a movie with me?"

Angie gaped at Daniel, and felt herself blush. Kayleigh laughed, "You're just way too cute and innocent, Angie. Say yes," she whispered to Angie. Angie nodded slowly and blinked several times. She jumped when Kayleigh kicked her foot softly, looking at her with 'the look'.

"Yeah, okay. Sure," Angie blushed.

Daniel grinned his famous grin and Angie felt a warm tingling in her stomach as he gazed down at her, looking deep into her eyes. She blushed and turned away.

**Back at Jack's table…**

"That was weird," Jack scrunched up his face, biting into what's left of his sandwhich. Cass stared at it. Jack shoved the rest of it into his mouth and was chewing on it when he noticed Cass was staring at him.

"What?"

"You eat really slow, Jackie."

"Don't call me that."  
"It's cute."  
"No."

"Yes."  
"Shut up, I'm gonna go get Angie back here."

"Can I come along?"  
"Sure."

Jack stood up and stretched, while Cass went to dump their trays. She came back soon, and together, they walked side by side to the table.  
"Hey, Angie. Wanna go?"

"Hey, Jack! Well-"

"She's talking to me, Mercer. Bug off," Daniel laughed. The rest of the group laughed along.

Angie mouthed 'Sorry' to Jack. Cass stood beside Jack, with her right hand on his shoulder, and whispered into his ear. Jack nodded, and walked away, not glancing back the table. Angie looked down at her thighs guiltily and started picking at her palms. She felt a hand on her back and she turned to see it was Hunter's.

"He'll be okay," he shot her a half-smile and got up, saying, "Well, I think I'll go to the library to check out a few things I need for my report. See you guys later." With that, he left.

Angie sighed and kicked herself mentally.

She decided that she would apologize to Jack and Cass when school was over.

"Okay, class, I expect you all to pass up your homework by the end of the week. Darcy, do not forget to bring your books again tomorrow. We will need it in class. Jolene, stay back please. I want to talk to you. The rest of you, you may go," Mr. Willey called out as the school bell rang. Angie grabbed her bag off the floor and quickly walked out to the bus stand, where she saw Jack and Cass chattering away. She called out their names, "Jack! Cass!" Jack glanced at her and then looked away, while Cass turned to just stare at her. Angie slowed down her pace and came to a stop just a few steps away from them.

"Hi." Angie whispered.

"Hello," Jack said, ruffling his hair up, and smoothening it down again.

"Hey, darling," Cass sighed, "Well, see you during dinner then, Jack?" Jack nodded, and gave Cass half a hug, "See you at 6pm, Cass." She nodded and hugged him back, and waved to Angie, "Bye, Angie."

Cass turned and walked away from them, and they saw her climb into a car from a distance away.

"Dinner?" Angie asked Jack, confused.

"Yea, she's coming over tonight."

"Oh."

"Yea."

They stood together in silence.

"Look, Jack, about just now-"

A shriek interrupted them.

"ANGIE!! GUESS WHAT!! TAYLOR HICKMAN ASKED ME TO GO TO THE MOVIES WITH HIM!!" yelled this redhead who just appeared out of nowhere, squealing with glee. It was Amanda Ryans, one of the girls who sat at the table with her. Jack frowned.

"COME WITH ME, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME GET DRESSED AND WITH MY MAKE-UP. HE'S PICKING ME UP AT SIX!! WE ONLY HAVE TWO HOURS, ANGIE!!"

Angie cringed, "But, who's going to send me home? You live on the other side of town, and by the time we're done, it would be late and I can't walk home alone in the dark."

"Oh, psh, my father can send you home. Come on, we have to go now!"

"Go with her, Angie. I'll tell Jerry you won't be following us home." Jack picked up his stuff and walked away, leaving Angie with Amanda.

Angie felt hurt.

She was about to run after him when Amanda pulled her by the hand and the both of them whizzed off to Amanda's house in her mother's car.

* * *


	8. The Evening

**I don't own anyone from Four Brothers except my own characters.  
Okay, do the 3 Rs...**

**Read, Review and Row Your Bow Gently Down the Stream :P**

* * *

**An Unforgettable Evening**

DING DONG.

"Bobby, get the door!"

"Who is it?"

"Get it!"

"Who the hell is it?"

"A friend, damn it! GO!"

Bobby grunted as he got off the couch where he sat oh so comfortably in while watching an ice hockey competition going on on the television. He took big steps and came towards the door, and unlocked it, pulling it back towards him.

He blinked.

"Uh, may I help you?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Hello, I'm here to see Jack," the girl asked. She had dark brown hair which gently flowed down slightly past her shoulders. Her eyes were a warm shade of brown, and she looked pretty good.

"Sorry, miss, but I think you've got the wrong house," Bobby grinned, "Jackie boy's gay. There's no way you can be his girlfriend." The young girl laughed, showing off her pearly white teeth, "Oh, he sure is gay alright! I'm just a friend. The name's Cassandra, bur I hate it, so call me Cass. Never call me Cassie or I'll kill ya," she grinned impishly.

Bobby chuckled and let her in.

"Jack's upstairs doing God knows what. So why are you here?"

"Oh, Jack invited me over for dinner. He didn't tell you guys?" Cass' face scrunched up.

Bobby slowly shook his head.

Cass bit her lip, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't intrude. I'll be going now."

Just as she turned to leave, they heard loud footsteps on the stairs, and saw Jack jump over the last 3 steps. Bobby raised an eyebrow. Jack had dressed up. He was wearing a collared shirt which was a midnight blue colour, completed with dark blue jeans. He wore white socks and had his hair gelled up. He saw Jack ran past him and grabbed Cass' wrist, "Where are you going?" Jack asked. His greenish blue eyes were clouded with confusion and surprise. "Why didn't you tell your family I was coming over, Jack?" Cass said, mocking hurt. Jack cringed, "Ah, damn. It slipped my mind."

Cass had an expression of hurt on her face, "Jack Mercer, I'm not important enough till I can actually slip your mind?! Fine, then!"  
Cass huffed and gave a dramatic exit, swinging the door wide open and just leaving it like that as she began walking out of their driveway.

Jack gaped after her.

"Boy, what the hell are you waiting for? Go after her!" Bobby whacked the back of Jack's head. "Damn it, Bobby! Ow!" Jack scowled but then ran out of the house. Bobby stood out on the front porch, watching Jack run after Cass, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face him. He said a few things to her, and she crossed her arms, one feet tapping on the ground. She shook her head several times and Bobby saw that her lips twitched a little, and she slowly nodded. Jack looked relieved and startled Cass by hugging her, and she awkwardly patted his back and laughed. They both then walked back to the house side by side, both smiling and looking satisfied.

Bobby smirked at them and followed them in, shaking his head.

"Jack, Jack, Jack… what will you ever do without me?"

* * *

Angie felt her eyelids slowly closing. She sat back up on the chair and shook her head a few times, tapping herself lightly on the cheek to feel more awake. She was exhausted from today. Amanda was a nice person alright, but she had way too much energy…

Amanda's mother was very… Amanda.

**Flashback: In the Car, After School**

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Amanda squealed, bouncing on the backseat of her mother's Honda, "Taylor Hickman asked me out! He asked me to go to the movies with him! I can't believe it! Oh my God!!" she yelled out in glee. Angie was a little disturbed but nevertheless, put on a smile.

"What am I going to wear!? How should I do my hair? What about shoes? Should I wear sneakers, or will that just make me look like a guy? Heels? But my feet hurt in heels! What about sandals? No way! Too stupid looking! Mommmmm!! I still can't believe TAYLOR HICKMAN, TAYLOR, asked me to go to the movies with him!"

Her mother smiled at the two girls in the backseat, "Well, you better believe it, darling. You're a pretty girl, and any guy would be insane not to date you! My gorgeous little girl is growing up!" A wide grin spread onto Amanda's face, "Really?"

"You bet, honey! Just wait till you grow older! You'll shine even more!" her mother grinned, "So Angie, do you have a boyfriend?"

Before Angie could say anything, Amanda rudely interrupted, "Oh, no. Angie just has a crush on Hunter Warrens." Angie felt her cheeks heat up and she was sure she turned red.

"Oh, that boy that lives near our butcher, Mr. Kellington?" Mrs. Ryans pipped.

"The very one, Mom!"

"Oh, he's a sweet boy. He is a good one. You have good taste, Angie. He is a very good looking boy."

Angie just kept quiet for the rest of the drive.

**End Flashback**

She looked out the window and thought of today…

* * *

He twisted the doorknob and trudged into his room, eyes half shut. Jack kicked off his sneakers and slipped his shirt over his head, one hand rubbing his stomach. He felt a little queasy from eating and laughing too much during dinner. He threw it on the floor and unbuttoned his jeans. He pulled them down to his ankles and kicked the clothes into the heap of dirty clothes nearby the foot of his bed on the floor.

He then dug into the drawers and pull out boxers, which were a plain colour of black. He proceeded to the bathroom, with a smile on his face.

Why was he smiling?

He did not know why, and it annoyed him. It was just… stuck.

He tapped himself lightly on the cheek, "Wake up, man. Don't be such a goof. Stop smiling for no apparent reason," he chided himself. He squeezed some mint flavoured toothpaste onto the toothbrush. He glided the brush on his teeth several times; at the same time, having a stare down contest with his reflection in the mirror. He spat it out and gargled, washing and wiping his mouth. He liked the minty water. It was his favourite part of brushing his teeth. He flashed back to when he was a kid… when the only reason he'd brush his teeth was because he wanted the taste in his mouth.

He wished everyone else a goodnight and went to his room. He plopped onto top of his bed and lied down, closing his eyes.

"'Night Angie…" he muttered. When he didn't hear the soft, innocent voice reply, he sat up in bed.

Oh, right. She's at that girl's house for a sleepover.

Jerry had to drive there to send Angie her clothes, towels and necessities.

Few hours later, Jack woke up, frowning. He couldn't sleep right. He kept tossing and turning in bed, and it annoyed him. The worse part was that he didn't know why exactly couldn't he sleep. Maybe it was because Angie wasn't there, and he had gotten too used to her presence. He shrugged the feeling off. He thought of the evening, when Cass came over for dinner. How she had made a great impression on his family… She was the first girl friend he'd ever bring back home. Oh man, Jack. Get a grip on yourself. You're making it sound like you and Cass are in a relationship! He thought of what she had worn earlier. A cute short-sleeved red shirt, which on the front said, "Don't Squeeze Us" and below that sentence, were two lemons, which followed the shape of her breasts. It was very comical and they had spent a few minutes laughing at it. She wore vintage shorts and she wore a pair of sandals, which completed her outfit.

**A/N : Outfit is in profile, must see shirt! Funny!! **

She looked great.

He suddenly felt his hand feeling his left cheek as he lied on his right side. It felt heaty and cool at the same time, if that made sense. It still tingled from the touch of Cass' lips…

* * *

**Flashback**

"Bye, dear. Do come again anytime soon," Evelyn smiled warmly at her as she was about to walk out of the kitchen. Bobby sniggered, "Yea, maybe Jack will become less gay!" He laughed out really loudly while Jack rolled his eyes, "Hardy-har, Bobby. Hardy-ha ha ha ha ha." Cass smirked, "Jack will always be my little gay man."

"Oh, great. Bad enough I get this nonsense from Bobby everyday. Not you too, Cass!" Jack wailed, scratching the back of his head.

Cass and Bobby laughed, joined in by Jerry and Angel. Evelyn just smiled. She loved moments like these, even though one of the boys were being bullied. It was a light moment, where worries were forgotten and the atmosphere was just so lovely. She felt her heart get warmer as she observed each and every one of her beloved children. Jack was standing by the stairs, trying hard not to smile but to put on a solemn face. Bobby was by the door to the kitchen, arms crossed and just grinning. Jerry sat on the stairs with Angel, shaking his head as he smiled at the comical conversation that Jack, Bobby and Cass were having. Angel just smiled, looking content. Evelyn walked up to Bobby from behind and tapped his shoulder lightly, "Bobby, don't bully your younger brother." She smiled.

"I'll try not to, Ma. He's just so cute, isn't he, Cass? A typical little fairy!"

Jack's jaw dropped open, his mouth forming an 'O'.

Cass' eyes grew big. Her lips twitched and she bit her lip, trying not to chuckle.  
"Bobby, I'll pay you back for this," Jack muttered, turning red.

Bobby winked at him, "Sure. Someday."

Cass looked at her wristwatch and gasped, "Damn it! I better get going. I'm really late. Thank you so much for the great dinner, Ms Evelyn."

"Oh, anytime. Drop by whenever you like. You're always welcomed here," Evelyn smiled at her. Cass grinned.

"I'll walk you out to the sidewalk, Cass," Jack said. They opened the door and a gush of wind blew in. It was windy outside, and rather cold. Angel jumped up and ran into the living room, "Damn, that was cold!" Jerry laughed and followed to tease Angel.

"Crikey," Cass muttered.

"Be right back, I'll get my jacket for you," Jack disappeared into the living room and came back with a thick jacket, which had to be zipped up. It was warm and a little too big for Cass. She smiled at him and muttered thanks as he helped her put it on. He nodded at her. He then gently pushed her out of the house and walked together.

They reached the sidewalk, where Cass stopped and attempted to take off the jacket.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jack asked, awed. "Giving you back your jacket," Cass mumbled as she fiddled with the zip.

"Oh, no, you're not. You're keeping the jacket. You can always return it to me tomorrow," Jack sighed. They were quiet for a moment.

"I better get going."

"Yea."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yup. Hug?"

Cass smiled at him and threw her arms around him, "God, Jack. Grow any taller and I'll have to tiptoe." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, just above the waist. She pulled away and suddenly, her lips made contact with his cheek.

She jerked back, blushed and waved, "Bye, Jack!". She then proceeded to run home.

**End flashback**

* * *

Jack didn't understand.

What were these fuzzy feelings in his stomach?

Could it be…

Oh, no.

God forbid it, no.

He can't.

_He **can't **be falling in love with his best friend._

* * *

**I hope you're happy. I hope you're proud how I did 5 pages within 30 minutes :)  
All for my readers.  
This is a pretty long chapter, so please do review. I need criticism, support, encouragement lol. I was encourage to write this story by David and Kimberley :) Kimberley played a bigger role, so thank her.**

I also updated my profile, so go check it out if you want. 

**And also, the part about Jack in bed, and having flashbacks were most written by Kimberley. I made her :D haha. She wrote most of it, I just tweaked and improvised it. :) **

**So I hope you like the new chapter.  
**

* * *


	9. The Car

**Another One.. Do review. **

* * *

**At the Ryans' home…**

"Morning, girls. What would you like for breakfast?" Mrs. Ryans said, opening the fridge. Amanda piped, "Apple juice please, and some for Angie?" She looked at Angie with a questioning look.

Angie just nodded, feeling really sleepy.

Amanda's mother took out two glasses from the cupboard and a carton of apple juice from the fridge. She poured the juice into each glass and served them to the girls.

"Thank you," Angie whispered, and took a sip. The cool juice ran down her throat and made her feel a little fresher.

She had stayed up till midnight, listening to Amanda gabble on and on about her "wow, amazing, fabulous, wonderful, unforgettable" date with Taylor. It seems his hand brushed against hers several times during the movie and they had shared a popcorn bucket together. Taylor kept smelling her hair and teasing her how she smelt like perfume.

He didn't know how true that was, Angie thought, yawning. Amanda had practically dumped a bottle of expensive perfume all over her, even on her socks. It was crazy.

Angie snapped out of her trance when Mrs. Ryans brought two plates for them. Amanda had eggs, bacon and toast. Angie was given eggs, bacon, toast and sausages.

"Okay, girls. Enjoy, I'll be off to work. Amanda, the neighbour's son will be sending you to school," she rushed towards Amanda and kissed her on the forehead. "Bye, girls! Have a good day at school, and it was a pleasure to meet you, Angie. Amanda, sweetie, don't forget to lock the door when you get home. Daddy's picking you up today."

"Okay, Mom."

"You too, Mrs. Ryans."

Amanda's mother dashed out the front door.

The two girls sat at the table in silence. All that could be heard were the clinking of forks, spoons and knives against the plates.

"Um, not meaning to be rude, but why do I get sausages?" Angie asked, her angelic little face curious. Amanda answered, "Because I don't like sausages, and Mom always buy too much of them. No one ever eats them, so you can have them." Angie slowly nodded, "Okay, but why does she buy them then?" Amanda cut her bacon and stuffed it into her mouth, "Because Mom's strange that way. She herself doesn't eat them."

This gave Angie an idea.

"How much more is there left?" Angie said, politely cutting up her sausages into small, tiny pieces. "About a whole stack or so, go look for yourself," Amanda replied, and drank her apple juice. Angie carried her cup and drank it while walking towards the fridge. She opened it and saw a whole shelf stacked with frozen sausages. "Wow."

"Yeah, nuts, isn't it?" Amanda said, finishing her drink.  
Angie thought.

"Amanda…" she hesitated, "Would…"

"Hm?" Amanda asked.

"Would it be okay if I took these stuff home?"

"You mean, the sausages?"

"Yeah. Seeing as no one eats them, I'll just take them, ya know. I could pay your mom back and stuff, and- " Angie was cut off by Amanda.

"Go ahead, mom wouldn't care," Amanda sighed, "I'll call Dad to bring it in a bag when he comes to pick me up."

"Oh, where is he now?"

"With the other woman."

"Oh."

Amanda looked at the clock in the living room, "We should get going. School is starting in 20 minutes, takes 5 minutes to drive there and Taylor said he wanted to meet me before school starts," Amanda dreamily said, got up and ran up to get her bags. Angie silently praised herself for putting her books in her locker. She wouldn't have to carry anything. She could faintly hear Amanda telling her dad to bring the sausages in a bag to school. She then heard the doorbell ring.

"That must be our driver. Open the door, Angie!" Amanda called from upstairs. Angie went to unlock the door and found herself staring into a boy's stomach. She looked up and saw gleaming white teeth grinning down at her, followed by a look into the most beautiful grayish blue pair of eyes which stared into hers.

"Hey, you must be Angie. Where's Amanda? We should get going," he said, his voice being rather low and smooth. He smiled at her.

Angie just stood there, frozen.

* * *

Jack woke up to Bobby's angry voice.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Angel? I don't want that whore in our home!"

Jack groaned. It was only 7a.m.

"Callete. Come culo qen eres tu?" A young woman's voice shrieked, and Angel was telling her to shush. Great. Sofi and Bobby were fighting, again. He slowly got up, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He grabbed a towel and began walking to the bathroom. Before he could enter the bathroom, Bobby came up the stairs, looking furious. "Callete!" Sofi shouted from downstairs.

Bobby turned around and yelled, "English, bitch! Tell your little whore that she better shuts up if she ever wants to speak again."

Jack cocked an eyebrow and went into the shower. Bobby stormed in, and took a piss.

"What now?" Jack asked wearily.

"Stupid Spanish speaking bitch and Angel were practically humping each other on MY couch."

Jack shuddered as the cold water sprinkled out, and he ran his hand through his wet hair, pushing it back. The water ran down his chest, past his stomach and between his thighs as he washed his hair, the back of his neck and below his armpits. He could hear Bobby leave and slam the door behind him. After a while, Jack turned the shower off and stepped out, drying himself with a towel and wrapping it around his waist.

It was past 7.30am, and he had a good 30 minutes left to either be driven to school, or walk there. It'd take a 10 minutes drive.

He threw on a pair of knee length black pants, and a brown shirt. He tied his shoelaces together and decided to jog to school, get a bit of fresh air. He went into the kitchen and grabbed some sandwhiches Evelyn had made for breakfast and put them into a small paper-bag, which he folded. "See ya, Ma," Jack muttered as he kissed her on the cheek, "Jerry, I'll walk myself to school today. Where's Angel?"

"Went off to calm that Sofi chick down. Man, she threw a fuss!" Jerry shook his head as he flipped the pages of the newspaper. "Well, Bobby's got to control his temper too. I say both are at fault. Anyways, bye!"

Jack stepped out.

It was a pretty sunny day. A little cold, but he was used to it. He turned around the corner and took out a sandwhich. He ate it while looking around him. A few people were driving out of their houses, some were exercising, and very few were sitting outside, just to enjoy the peace and quietness of the morning. He finished a sandwhich and decided to share the rest with Cass or Angie… if he would even see Angie. He held it firmly in his hand and started jogging lightly, careful not to slip on the icy pavement.

After a while, he finally saw the school from quite a distance. Just as he was about to reach the school gates, he heard a car coming up from behind him. He ignored it, but then it stopped right by him. He looked suspiciously at the car, which had tinted glass windows. The door opened and two big, burly men stepped out of the car. They tried to make a grab for Jack. Jack put up a struggle and dropped his backpack. The men managed to push him headfirst into the car, and barked at the driver to drive.

* * *


	10. Paralyzer

**Don't own the characters except for my own, don't own the song. **

**Do read and review. I'm tired... night!**

* * *

"So, Angie, right?" he asked her, keeping his eyes on the road. His hand tapped against his knee, following the beat of the music playing, while he drove with the other.

"Yea," she said, her voice a whisper.

"Why so quiet?" he asked, sticking out his lower lip.

Amanda was bobbing her head up and down to her mp3. It was obvious she couldn't hear them because if she had heard him say that, she would start babbling about how wonderful her date was last night. She just wouldn't stop.

Angie looked out the window.

Why, oh why, did Amanda have to hog the backseat? She was forced to sit in front with him by her. He sensed her silence and nodded, "Not much of a talker?"

She nodded.

"Well, mind if I introduce myself, talk about myself a little? I just hate silence. Even though the music's playing, I like to hearing a conversation going on," he beamed at her. She nodded.

"My name is Dylan Matthews. I'm sixteen years old, I have a pet dog and I live with my father next door to Amanda. I have a younger brother, Pat, who is only nine years old. He stays with my mother though, all the way in Wisconsin. I go to the same school as you guys do, and I'm graduating by the end of this year," he said, casually talking about his life as though he was talking about the weather that morning, "I skipped a grade."

He smirked at Angie.

"A pet dog?" Angie was interested. Her beautiful eyes widened a little and her ears perked up, "What kind of dog?" He ran his hands through his hair, "A Collie." Angie's lips twitched a little, "What's his name?"

"Her name is Marble," he smiled at her.

"Her?"

"It's a female dog," he chuckled. Angie blushed, "Oh. Tell me about her. Why did you name her Marble?"

Dylan smiled, "If you look into her eyes, she had the most prettiest greenish blue coloured eyes. They are so shiny, so… sparkly, so beautiful, that it will remind you of a beautiful marble."

"What will remind me of a marble?"

Amanda had taken out her earphones and was now listening to Dylan talk about Marble. "Oh, my dog, Marble." Dylan suddenly scowled, "You already know her."

"Oh, right. That little mutt."

"It's not a mutt, Amanda."

"It ripped out Mom's roses. She called it a mutt."

"End of conversation, Amanda."

Amanda pouted and just put on her earphones again, and lied back down.

_Amanda Ryans. Pft. That no good stuck up little daughter of that stupid woman, Dylan angrily thought. Always corrupting Amanda's mind… Oh, how would he love to teach them a lesson…_

"Dylan?"

Angie's voice brought him back to reality.  
Dylan pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he was trying to control himself. Angie noticed this, and said, "How long have you had her?"

He turned his head to look at Angie.

_She looks really adorable in that shirt, he thought._

**_No! Snap out of it, man! She's like 3 or 4 years younger than you!_**

"For about a year, maybe two. I can't remember. I've had her for what feels like a really long time. It's as if she's been with me since the day I was born," he joked. Angie laughed.

"And now, as requested, here is the song: Paralyzer by Finger Eleven!" the man on the radio announced. Dylan cheered, "I love this song!"

"I know it," she smiled sweetly.

"Sing with me then!" he grinned.

She blushed and looked away.

The music began playing.

_I hold on so nervously  
To me and my drink  
I wish it was cooling me  
But so far, has not been good  
It's been shitty  
And I feel awkward, as I should  
This club has got to be  
The most pretentious thing  
Since I thought you and me  
Well I am imagining  
A dark lit place  
Or your place or my place_

He saw Angie bob her head along lightly, her fingers slightly tapping against her knee…

_Well I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you_

_I hold out for one more drink  
Before I think  
I'm looking too desperately  
But so far has not been fun  
I should just stay home  
If one thing really means one  
This club will hopefully  
Be closed in three weeks  
That would be cool with me  
Well I'm still imagining  
A dark lit place  
Or your place or my place_

And she began singing along with him, her little clear voice singing beautifully…

_Well, I'm not paralyzed  
But, I seem to be struck by you  
I want to make you move  
Because you're standing still  
If your body matches  
What your eyes can do  
You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you_

**(repeat paragraph 3 times)**

_You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you_

_You'll probably move right through  
Me on my way to you_

Angie laughed and grinned.

_Oh, wow. Her laugh… it's lovely._  
**_Dylan! Stop it!_**  
_You can't help but feel attracted to her, Dylan…_**_  
Get out of my head!_**

"STOP IT!!" he yelled, and braked, bringing the car to a sudden halt. Thank God Angie was wearing her seat belt, tight and secured. Amanda just rolled onto the other seat. He looked at Angie and saw that she was closed to tears. Her eyes… they were filled with fear.

"Oh, Angie… I'm sorry, Angie. Are you okay?" Angie nodded and blinked back tears. She looked out the window. Amanda scrambled to sit up properly, "God, Dylan!" she wailed in that high pitched voice of hers, "You could have killed us!"

"Well, you're more than welcomed to walk, Amanda!' Dylan snapped at her. Amanda looked taken aback, and leaned back in her seat.

"Can we just… get to school, please?" Angie said. Her voice was shaky and it was very much obvious she wanted to get out of the car. "Yea, a few more minutes and we'll be there…" he softly said.

When they reached school, Angie unbuckled her seat belt, grabbed her bag and practically ran away. Amanda took her own sweet time, and finally got out of the car. Dylan slammed his head against the steering wheel, making it go HONK!

A few students walking by jumped and someone cussed, "Watch it, asshole!"

Dylan groaned.

Why…

Why did Tyler have to come out **now**?

* * *

Jack squirmed in the chair.  
He was tied to it, and struggling against the ropes, which held his arms firmly in place began to hurt really bad. His eyes were blindfolded and he felt a cloth in his mouth.

He starting struggling again, and suddenly, he felt a very sharp pain spreading up his arm. He groaned loudly, and felt his eyes brimming with tears.

He felt a sob escape his lips. He tried to keep himself calm. He kept telling himself he was going to be alright…

He heard footsteps. A door swung open, and the lights were switched on.

"Jack Mercer," a feminine voice said. He could hear her walking towards him as her heels clacked against the cold, cemented floor, "So, we meet again."

He felt her pull off his blindfold. He blinked several times, trying to get his vision clear. He looked up at her, and gasped.

"No, it can't be."

* * *

**Okay. **

**If you can guess...**

**1) Who Tyler is  
2) Why he & Angie acted so strangely  
3) Who the feminine voice belonged to**

**I will write a oneshot for you :) You may request ANY type of fanfiction, but it has to be either from Twilight, Four Brothers, and Phantom of the Opera.  
ONLY if you answer all 3 questions correct though :p**

**3rd question is rather... difficult.  
**


	11. Vivian

**Hello all, sorry I haven't been updating.**

**Was away in another country. **

**However, I brought my laptop and here's the awesomely long chapter I wrote on the plane back, because I didn't have time to write during the holiday itself.  
Thank my computer for being so nice (not running out on battery lol) **

**Took me about an hour and a half to type this.**

**So, I expect at least 10-15 reviews. **

**I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could find something else to say besides**

"**Wow! Good chapter, update soon!"**

**The more you guys do that, the more I don't feel like updating. You see, the reason why I write is because **

**It's my passion (which I sometimes like to share with people, and at other times I don't. In this case, I do.) **

**If my stories are good, people would feel good and enjoy, and I like to know people enjoy my stories. **

**BUT, the way you guys have been reviewing… it feels like you're taking advantage of me. Seriously, if you want more chapters, REVIEW. **

**This is the last chapter you're going to get unless I get 10 reviews, or more. **

**I will still be writing this story, to complete it and PM to a few people who are good friends/reviewers of mine. **

**So once again, REVIEW, or no more.**

* * *

"Hello, Jack. I see you remember me," she grinned at him.

"You!" he growled.

She knelt down in front of him, "Yes, it's me."

"What do you want, Vivian?" he spat at her.

She frowned.

"I see you've changed, Jack. No more the little, timid boy you used to be," she sighed as she took out a nail filer and began filing her nails. He looked away from her. She giggled, "Good times, weren't they, Jack?" He just grunted.

She turned away and rolled her eyes.

"I know you don't want to talk to me, Jack. I know you probably loathe me. I can see it in your eyes, Jack. I-"

"What the hell do you want, Vivian? Get to the point damn it!"

She sat in the chair opposite him, and pointed the nail filer towards him.

"You."

"Are you crazy!? No! No! No! I am not coming with you!" Jack yelled.

"Don't be foolish, Jack," she said as she dropped her nail filer, "You're coming with me, whether or not you want to. You don't have a choice," Vivian mumbled as she dug into her purse for a cigarette. She light up and looked at him, "Want one?"

"I don't smoke anymore, Vivian," he bitterly whispered.

He felt so weak, so tired.

He squeezed his eyes shut and bit down on his lower lip, hoping to God he wouldn't whimper. He felt his face burning up, cheeks flushing and tears began sliding down his cheeks. Mama… Bobby… Jerry… Angel…. He silently cried out. His mind flashed back to Angie. Oh, little Angie. Cassandra… He knew Vivian always got her way. There was no way for him to let any of them know of his whereabouts or what happened to him. Surely, they will indeed notice he was gone. But to where? Where would he have gone?

Ma would be so upset. Bobby would be so angry… Jerry and Angel would be a mess. Angie… he didn't want to think what it would do to Angie.

"Well, we shall be leaving for France tonight, Jack."

"France?" Jack's voice broke.  
She nodded, "I own a little cottage out in Nice. It has a darling pool in the backyard and a wonderful view of Nice, as it is on a hill. I also have a few apartments there. We will be living there, Jack. Just you, me and your brother."

The door opened and a young man stepped out into the light.

"Hello, brother."

"Kyle."

* * *

Angie grabbed a tray and filled it up with food, only to be dragged away by Kayleigh and Helena to their usual table. There was a new girl sitting there, and she was absolutely pretty. Golden-blonde hair which was curled up, beautiful sea-coloured eyes and a figure to die for. She was beautiful and looked very matured.

"Oh, hey guys!" Hunter greeted them, "Meet Louise. She's a transfer student from South Carolina. She was offered a scholarship here for dancing." She smiled at them all. Angie felt a thonk in her chest when she saw the way he looked at her. She sat down and forced a smile onto her face. Kayleigh sat beside her and Helena sat next to Louise, opposite Angie. Hunter was on the right of Louise.

"So Louise, tell us about yourself," Hunter said.

Louise opened her mouth to talk but she was suddenly interrupted by Travis.  
"Dude!! Guys, check it out! We're going to be one of the bands that's going to be playing for the dance this year!" Travis exclaimed, his brown eyes gleaming excitedly. He plopped his tray next to Hunter and started drumming his fingers on the table. Angie giggled. Helena rolled her eyes, "Travis, say hello to the new kid."

Travis looked up at Louise and nodded, "'Sup?", and began drumming again.

Nathan and Blake came a few minutes later, and they were discussing about some project a teacher had assigned to them. "Since when did you guys discuss about projects?" Kayleigh wrinkled her nose. "Since if we do it right, we get points for it and if we get points for it, we're going to be the DJs for the dance!" Nathan and Blake gave each other a high five.

"A dance?" Angie asked.

"It's the dance where the Grades 8, 9 and 10 kids get together for a dance. The graduates of 2004 set this whole dance thing up. Teachers aren't allowed to do anything with the dance, but they're most welcome to join in the dance. Basically, students are in charge," Nathan explained.

"When is it held?"

"Sometime in December. We don't know when exactly. The graduates who made this up come for it every year. I'm guessing they're about in their early twenties this year. They are the ones who decide when it's held, the time it's held and how it's held.

"Oh," Angie said, stumped.

"If you want, I could explain to you every detail I know of the dance," Nathan shrugged and gulped down some water. Angie smiled, "Sure."

Helena laughed.

"Gee, Angie! First Hunter, now Nathan? Damn girl!" she chuckled.

Angie turned red. She looked at Nathan and saw that he wasn't bothered by it.

She turned to look at Hunter.

He was in a deep conversation with Louise. The two of them were so close their foreheads were almost touching. Louise giggled and he grinned.

"Okay, then," he smiled, "Friday night, 6p.m.?"

She nodded, blushing.

"It's a date done," his smile got wider. He then did the unpredictable. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Louise's eyes got bigger when he did this, and the entire table fell silent. Angie knew she would start crying if she opened her mouth to talk, so she just shook her head and pointed at her stomach, miming herself throwing up. She immediately got up, ran to the bathroom and locked herself inside a cubicle.

She cried for all she's worth.

* * *

_Dearest and most beloved Ma,_

_I just want to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry this happened, I'm sorry this is happening to you, the boys and Angie. Ma, you'll probably never see me again after this. Perhaps it's for the best. I'll be fine, I promise._

_Ma, you're the best mother anyone could ever ask for. You've provided me with love, care, taught me things others couldn't and showed me hope still exists. Because of you, I am now the person I am today. _

_I want you to tell Bobby, Jerry and Angel I love them so much. I always will. They are the best brothers anyone could ever have. Tell Bobby thank you for sticking up for me, even though he always did tease and make fun of me. Tell Jerry thank you for teaching me, and for reading to me when I was a kid. Tell Angel thank you for always being there to listen, and to advice me about girls. Haha, good times… _

_And little Angie… tell her I love her. Tell her I'm sorry. She'll understand. Tell her to move on, live her life and not think about me.  
I love you, Ma.  
God bless you all.  
Love, Jack. _

Jack wiped his eyes as he sealed the letter shut in an envelope. One of Vivian's men had been reading over his shoulder to make sure Jack wouldn't reveal anything about Vivian, his location or whatever that has happened in the past few hours.

"May I have another piece of paper, please?" Jack whispered, his voice shaky and coated with sobs.

"Sure, kid." The man went to the other side of the room and took several pieces of paper, and gave it to Jack.

"Thank you…" Jack's voice could hardly be heard.

_Dear Cassandra_

_I know you hate it when people call you that, but this is a serious matter. _

_Cass…  
Thank you.  
Thank you for everything. You've been a wonderful best friend, a great shoulder to lean on and an amazing person. You are beautiful inside-out and believe me when I say I can't imagine life without you.  
I want you to know that you'll probably never see me again, and please don't be upset. Dry those tears, Cass. I know you'll be crying when you read this. Don't ask questions.  
Forget about me, move on. Live your life, spend it wisely. You only get a shot at life once. And please… take care of Angie for me. Make sure you put those wolves in their places. When Angie grows up, she's going to be beautiful.  
I don't want her getting in harm's way.  
I also have another thing to tell you. _

_Cass…  
Ever since yesterday night, I couldn't stop thinking about you.  
I have to admit. I had a crush on you a few months back. I still do. But now, it feels stronger. Much more stronger. I am completely head over heels for you. _

_Promise me, Cass.  
Promise me, you will be strong. _

_I love you.  
I'll always be with you, deep down inside your heart._

_Love, Jack. _

Jack folded it and allowed the tears to flow freely. The man took both letters and went out of the room. Jack curled up in his chair and sobbed hard. He was never going to see any one of them anymore. The man came back after a while, and sat in the chair opposite Jack.

"Jack, right?" he said softly.

Jack nodded, his head buried in his arms.

"I'm Ian."

Silence.

"Look, Jack. I'm sorry you have to go through this. I know-"

"You don't know shit!" Jack bitterly mumbled.

Ian frowned, "Listen, kid. I've been working with Vivian for almost 3 years. I know what it's like being under her power."

Jack looked up, his eyes all puffy and red.

"Why not just leave then?" Jack whispered.

"Because…"

Jack squinted through his blurry vision, "Because…?"

Ian sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He then took out a small picture from it. He handed it to Jack.

"Because of her."

Jack looked at the picture.

In it, were Ian and a woman beside him. He had his arm draped around her shoulders and was kissing her on the cheek. She was smiling, he was smiling. They looked happy. She had olive skin and gorgeous brown hair which curled at the end. She had a heart-shaped face and flawless skin. Ian was wearing a sleeveless brown shirt, and underneath the black leather jacket she was wearing, was a strapless shirt. _He must have given her his jacket_, Jack thought.

"Who is she?" Jack asked, not tearing his gaze away from the picture.

Ian smiled sadly.

"Althea."

"Who is she?"

"She's the woman who holds my heart."

Jack was confused.

"You can't leave because of her? Vivian has an adopted daughter?"

"Yes, to both."

"Oh. Why not?"

"She's Vivian's adopted daughter."

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

* * *

"So when you have 2x + 3y 0, the graph-"

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in," Mr. Welf look irritated at being interrupted.

A Year 10 boy walked in with a note, and handed it to the teacher.

"Angie, the principal wants to see you in his office." Mr. Welf sighed and gave her a hall pass.

Angie got up and walked out of the class, feeling relieved. She had spent thirty minutes sitting behind Hunter and Lorraine, listening to them getting to know each other. His hobbies, her dislikes, his family, her previous school… It was getting a little too much for Angie to bear. She followed the Year 10 boy to the office.

The secretary, Miss Georgia, smiled and showed her into the office. Angie went in and saw the principal, Sir Tolden, looking out of the window. He had a troubled expression on his face.

"Good afternoon, Sir," Angie said politely.

"Ah, Angie Mercer," he said, turning around to look at her, "Please, have a seat."

Angie sat down.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, being unusually nice.

Angie slowly shook her head.

Sir Tolden sighed, "Angie. What I'm going to tell you next… I hope you're okay to hear this."

Angie felt her heart beat increase. Did something bad happened to Ma? Her imagination ran wild for the next few seconds.

"Jack's not in school."

He carefully examined her, watching her expression.

"What do you mean… he's not in school?" she said. Her eyes had gone blank, and her face was pale.

He reached under his table and pulled out a maroon coloured bag with buckles on it. Jack's. "A janitor found this outside the school compound, near the sidewalk. He brought it in to me, and I had a look through the bag. These books belong to Jack. So, I thought, 'Perhaps Jack had accidentally dropped them, somehow'. I then asked a teacher to call him so I could give it back to him. The teacher couldn't find him. I searched for him myself, and couldn't find him. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

Angie suddenly felt dizzy. "No, I don't."

"I would have called your mother, but I didn't want to start any unnecessary trouble. I'll call them now."

"No, wait!" The principal held the telephone in his hand.

"Don't call Ma. Call Jerry. He'll know what to do." Angie said.

"Very well. What is his number?"

"184-455-7970."

* * *

Jack sat before Ian, feeling miserable and curious.

"What's wrong with just taking her and leaving?" he asked, fiddling with his collar.

"Althea is basically like you – a prisoner. It's like… that fairytale, the one where the princess is locked up in a tower, all alone by herself and guarded. Just not by a dragon and not under a sleeping spell."

"Sleeping Beauty."

Ian nodded.

"Yes."

"How did you meet her in the first place? Why did you come to work for Vivian? Why can't you just run away with her?" Jack exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. Ian sighed, "It's difficult."

Jack looked around, and folded his arms.

"We've got time."

"Okay," Ian got up, "I'm going to get us some water first." Jack nodded and leaned back in his chair. Ian left the room and returned within a minute. He placed the glass of water in front of Jack, and took a sip of his own. "Where shall I start?" he murmured, mostly to himself.

"From the very beginning, where you met Vivian first or Althea. Whichever."

"Okay," Ian inhaled deeply.

"Hold it," Jack held out a hand, "Is this a trap? To get my guard down?"

Ian shook his head and chuckled bitterly, "If only life was that simple, Jack."

"There are no security cameras here? Or can they hear us in here?"

"Calm down," Ian soothed him, "It's fine. I rigged the audio and changed the visual to another empty room."

"But then, won't they ask where I am?"

"The only people around here are Leo, Kyle, Vivian, Althea, Rebecca and myself."

"Leo? Rebecca? Althea's here?"

"I'll explain later. Want me to continue?"

Jack nodded.

"I met Althea first," Ian's light brown eyes suddenly became teary, "It was in the winter, about two to three years ago. It was snowing very heavily, and I was driving home from the gym. Snow had filled up the roads, and you couldn't even see any plants, insects or animals during then. I was about an hour's drive away from home, when my car suddenly got stuck in the snow. I didn't bring my jacket with me. I was depending entirely on the heaters in my car. I knew I couldn't walk all the way home, so I decided to get out of the car, go to someone's house or something. I had to do something. I didn't want to freeze to death. So I did as I said, and came upon this house around the corner. It was quaint, and rather decent. I went up to knock on the door, and Althea opened it. When I met her eyes, I knew that it wouldn't be easy to resist her. She invited me in immediately, gave me a thick jacket along with a blanket, woolen socks and made sure I was comfortable sitting on her couch. She treated me with so much care, kindness and I was very grateful. Not everyone would treat a random stranger the way she treated me."

"I see," Jack said, "Two to three years ago, you say?"

"Yes."

Jack lowered his gaze, "I ran away from Vivian at that time."

Silence filled the small room.

"Did you meet Vivian then, at the house?" Jack asked.

"No. Althea was living with two girlfriends of hers."

Jack was confused, "Okay, confused. What the hell?"

"I'm not done yet, Jack." Ian muttered, looking annoyed.

"Sorry," Jack sheepishly said.

"One of those girlfriends is Rebecca."

"Wait. Could you please clear it up for me? How old are all of you?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I am twenty four. Althea's a year young and Rebecca is twenty one years old. Leo is about eighteen. Anyways, Althea was already Vivian's daughter. However, Althea hardly ever saw her. Vivian claimed to be 'traveling' to other states and countries. Althea couldn't care less. Vivian had adopted her at the age of fifteen; the rebellious stage. So when Vivian suddenly disappeared when she was 17, Althea gave up on living with Vivian and bought herself that house with Vivian's money. Althea knew she wouldn't be able to manage on her own, so she brought Rebecca and Lynn along with her. Althea met Rebecca at school. They were both on the boxing team. They became good friends. I don't know much about Lynn but all I know is that Lynn was the complete opposite of Rebecca."

He sipped some water, and loosened his collar.

"Of course, when Vivian found out what Althea had done, she was furious. She immediately went to the house the minute she had found out about it. There, she met Rebecca. Rebecca is a highly trained woman in karate, sword fighting and kick-boxing. She is Vivian's pet. Vivian paid for all her classes, which made her the person she is today. Vile, cruel, unforgiving and emotionless. She is the guard to Althea's room."

"Wow. That's…"

"Yea, I know."

"But weren't they the best of friends?"

"Yes. Vivian killed off their friendship."

Jack frowned.

"How do you know that Althea isn't on their side?"

"Because she killed Lynn."

Jack jumped up from his chair, and slammed himself back against the wall, "What!? She killed Lynn?! But why? Didn't you say Lynn was the complete opposite of Rebecca?!"

"Yes."

"God, this is so fucking confusing and complicated…" Jack trailed off. He began walking up and down, scratching his head. "I know, Jack," Ian said, finishing off his water, "But there's so much more to tell."

Jack groaned, "Oh God… what else?"

Ian opened his mouth, but instead of hearing his voice, they both heard the door slamming open.

"Oh, hello, fellas!" Kyle came bouncing in.

Jack leaned in to whisper to Ian, "I thought you said-."  
Ian whacked him on the arm, "That's enough, Jack! Stop talking!"

Jack flinched.

"What did he say, Ian?"

"Just how he wishes you would drop dead right now," Ian said, sounding robotic and did not look at Jack when he said so.

"Oh, Jackie. Jackie, Jackie, Jackie. Come with me," Kyle grinned, "Come on. Let's go."

"Why?" Jack carefully said.

"Just want to show you something," Kyle smiled.

This smile was not one of Kyle's usual smiles. It was more relaxed, yet suspicious. His eyes had soften and so had his features. Jack slowly got up and walked towards the door.

* * *

**Wanna know what happens next?**

**Wanna know why Althea killed Lynn?**

**Wanna know what the Mercers' and Cass' reaction is going to be when they read the letters?**

**Wanna know what's going to happen between Angie, Hunter, Lorraine, Daniel, and Dylan? **

**REVIEW.**


	12. Finding Out

Cass woke up, feeling a little sore. Gah, she thought to herself, she slept the wrong way again. She had to stop doing that or she'll end up with neck pains for life. She grumbled to herself and forced herself out of bed, dragging her feet down the stairs.

"Morning mom," she yawned and stretched.

"Oh, Cassandra, it's 11 a.m. Why haven't you showered and changed?" her mother frowned at her daughter in her pajamas. Her mother was the only person who could get away with calling her by her full name.

"Cause, mommy darling, it's the weekend." She headed for the cupboard to get her favourite cereal out but her mother stopped her.

"No honey, today you're eating a healthy breakfast. Daddy-" her mother stopped short.

"Daddy? He's home?" Cass asked, confused. Her father was hardly home as he spent all his time down at the police station. He was one of the most respected man in town, and he had a lot of work to do.

"Nothing." Cass' mom smiled.

Cass suddenly felt two hand cover her eyes from behind, "There's my little girl."

Cass felt her mouth drop open and shrieked, turning to face her father. "Dad!" she enveloped him in a huge warm hug which he returned. "Oh, Cassie, I missed you," he smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head, "You're not very little anymore... I'm sorry I'm hardly at home, honey."

Cass hugged her father again, "You're home now."

Silence filled the air for a moment.

"What I was saying before, was that Daddy had cooked something for you." Cass grinned and went to look. On the table laid a few plates. One had delicious looking omelet on it, the other some bacon and sausages, and another with toast with jam and butter. There were three glasses; orange juice, apple juice and water.

"Thank you Daddy," Cass hugged her father again.

"Go on, eat up. I'm going to check the mail, sweetie."

Cass sat down at the table and began munching on her toast. Mm, it tasted great. Fresh and hot.

Her father came in a few minutes after, looking at the letters. "That's weird, one doesn't have a return address..."

"What is it, Simon?" her mother asked, getting up and walking towards him.

"It's addressed to Cass."

Cass took it and opened it right then, and felt her eyes water up.

"Honey? What's wrong?"

"Cassie?"

Cass shook her head aggressively and let out a sob. She placed a hand over her mouth, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what was in the letter.

"Cassandra! What is it?" her mother asked.

Cass got up and ran up to her bedroom, taking the letter with her. She grabbed her cell phone off the table and furiously dialed in a number.

"Hello?" said the familiar masculine voice.

"Bobby, where's Jack?"

----------------------------------------------

Angie felt dizzy and couldn't bring herself to accept the fact that her brother was missing. Not only was he her brother, he was her best friend and her favourite brother.

After school, she went behind one of the huge, old oak trees and sat against it. She hugged her knees to her chest and started to cry.

She was terrified. She didn't know what happened to him. She didn't know where he was, how he was, and why he was gone. She wanted answers. She wanted him with her right now.

But no one could give her the answers, and he wasn't there...

"Angie?"

She looked up and found herself looking into his eyes.

"You."

----------------------------------------------

Bobby slammed the phone down, his eyes filled with anger, hurt and shock.

"Yo, man, what's wrong?" Angel asked, looking up from his Sudoku book.

"Where's Jerry?"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Where is Jerry damn it!"

"Working man! Chill, what the fuck is it?"

"It's Jack."

"Jack? What about him?

"He's gone."

------------------------------------------------


End file.
